Deck: J0KER
by Chronic Guardian
Summary: [Deckverse AU] [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm] October of 2104, Deck's Hokkaido branch goes silent. In order to investigate, Director Yuu Minamimoto revives the forgotten fifth suit: J0KER. But will the wildcard be enough to take on the storm of Noise that awaits? Or is the trump in the other hand? OC centric.
1. Game I: Go Fish

**Author's Note:**

**The following is a fan interpretation of other fan works. A meta fan fiction! In addition to not owning The World Ends With You (property of Square Enix) the author also does not own the Deckverse (property of Amulet Misty), Leo Parker and Nelliel Reagan (property of Hyoxjnn), Yuu Minamimoto (property of Bugzii), Ayumu Ki, Izo Shuito, and Rei Shuito (property of EeveeGen9988), or the Zetta Squad (property of Crow's Gamble).**

**If you'd like to know more about those characters, you can always go to their source author's page and marvel at how much better they are written there.**

**Now that that's settled, how about a joke?**

**Once upon a time, there was a mediocre author who found other authors of great imagination and asked if he could use their stuff.**

**And they agreed.**

**;)**

**May they not regret it... **

**Deck: J0KER**

By Chronic Guardian

**Game I: Go Fish**

_Rules: _

_The object of the game is to match pairs of cards from different suits until the current hand runs out or the stock runs dry (depending on regional preference). On each players' turn, they must ask another player for the mate to one of their own cards. If the other player possesses the card, they must give it up. Otherwise, they must tell the asking player "Go Fish", upon which they will draw from the stock. The winner is either he (or she) who loses all his (or her) cards first, or he (or she) with the greatest number of pairs at game's end._

_-J0KER, October 2104, Direct Retrievable Audio Wave #104: Conversation between members 2 and 3 during non-routine maintenance as follows._

"You know, no matter how you look at it, we tend to attract a certain kind of crowd."

"Yeah? Like, how you figure?"

"Well... I mean, Deck already only takes a certain breed of people. But J0KER? I think it might be a different story there altogether."

"Like... because we don't have a district assigned to us?"

"Yeah, there's that. Up to this point, J0KER's primarily been – hand me that wrench, will you? – a recon and development test bed for the CommArmTech. But—"

"Like, d'you mean the CAT department?"

*Sigh* "Yes, Kya, I mean them. But _everyone_ calls them that—"

"—Especially Arisa."

"Yes, especially her—And I like to shake things up a bit. Anyway—"

"Heheh, why? You can be, like, soooo weird sometimes. Besides, it's cuter as an acromyn."

"Acronym, Kya."

"Heheh, whatever you say," *Thump* "Which reminds me, what were you saying? Y'know, about us being different?"

"Oh, I'm just... reflecting. What, with the new arrivals due and all—"

"New arrivals!? Hey! When do they come? Are any of 'em other Blanks? Do I get a bunk mate? How come nobody told me?"

"Easy there! All I know is what was distributed on the CARDs."

"Huh!? CARDs? But I thought only Suit members got those!"

"That's just it, Kya. J0KER is being canonized as a Suit. Yours should be in your room, if you—"

"We're being what?"

"We're," *Grunts* "being made into an official division of the Deck field operatives. There, that ought to—"

"Oh, wow! Does that mean we get to meet the other Suit members? Or that—wait a minute... if we're a Suit then we get numbers, right?"

"Umm... yeah, I guess? I hadn't really..."

"Who d'you think gets to be Ace?"

"Well, it's funny that you'd ask. See, as I heard it from Ayane, he's being recruited."

"When?"

"Today. You'll get to meet him at the assembly."

"Omigosh! We're, like, having an assembly?"

"Yeah, it was posted in the... oh, right, you don't read the common room bulletin. Anyway, they've already left to pick him and the others up."

"Gone fishing?"

"...I suppose it could be seen as such."

"Heheh, You're always pretty serious, huh? Lighten up for once, 'kay? After all, you're in J0KER, you might as well act like it!"

-Close (DRAW#104)-

**-J-**

Wind always felt stronger at higher altitudes. It was an unfortunate fact of life that free runners like Leo Parker learned to deal with in incremental stages. You didn't just start out by climbing to the top of the commercial district and leaping every sky scraper you could find. Not unless you had a death wish.

...Or were incredibly desperate.

Pounding across the pitch, Leo reminded himself to keep breathing as he approached the edge. The wind currents were strong, but they were at his back. Hopefully, that would translate into a slight boost over the gap he was about to attempt. Thirty floors up would be a nasty fall, missing the jump would almost be worse than just stopping and letting himself be caught.

Almost.

"Get back here, Parker!" At least the thugs following him wouldn't be able to take the next route. Running through an active construction site wasn't really a recommended activity for anyone, but being three-hundred-plus pounds of muscle definitely put the option out of the question.

The ledge of the roof rushed closer with each grinding step, pushing loose bits up in Leo's wake. This would've been easier if he'd had a little outside help, such as the latest in EM Over Assist gear. A pair of those on his feet, and he'd be able to clear twice the distance. But in the end it didn't matter. Leo liked pushing his own limits. Yeah, EM gear was sweet, and yes, he wished he had some; but he also wasn't afraid to try things most people thought their unassisted bodies were incapable of.

Such as jumping across sky scrapers thirty floors up.

Psyching himself up to a grin, Leo went for it. He minutely cut his momentum so he could plant both feet on the building's edge, legs coiled into a crouch as his body already began to cross the threshold into open air. Getting the toes of his feet over the edge, he pushed on the horizontal surface. The force of the full extension fired Leo like an arrow. He soared across the ten meter gap, caught the lip of an open floor to break some momentum and then dropped down to the level below to safely roll off the rest. Turning around, he smirked triumphantly at his pursuers.

His smirk twitched when he realized they were jumping too, despite the hazards of the area for men of their hulk.

_Then again, when they're substituting muscle for brains, I guess they might try it anyway!_

Shaking his head, Leo laughed and took off again down the maze of catwalks and support beams that made up the inside of the building's shell. The clatter of drone machines at work was deafening. In the absence of audible clues, it was tempting to throw a glance behind to tell whether or not he was being followed, but the current maneuverings wouldn't afford the sacrifice of precious visual cognition. Whatever he was doing, he needed to get down to street level, or at least a few stories lower. Shibuya was reconstructing at a steady rate, but there still weren't too many buildings quite as high up as he was. If he tried to go on like this, sooner or later he'd run out of roof.

Spinning around a corner, Leo found an elevator shaft rigged up. He grinned. _Yeah, that'll do the trick_. Yanking on a pair of dark, meshed gloves he kept in his back pocket, he grabbed hold of the line and dropped into the hole.

The line sparked in his grip as he built up tension to slow his rapid descent. Due to the Movermesh gloves, what would've normally torn his hands to shreds in an instant felt like little more than an upward breeze. They were a real gem to have, which probably accounted for why the Skullers were after him now. He'd picked them up in an abandoned site they were scavenging through. Apparently, Skullers didn't believe in "finders, keepers" when it didn't apply to them.

Squeezing a little tighter, Leo cut the force to a fraction before letting go and landing in a crouch at the bottom of the shaft.

"Right!" he breathed as he got up and dusted himself off. "Guess that's all for today..."

"Guess again, Knucklehead," a deep voice outside growled. Leo had just a moment to blink before the imposing form of a six-foot-two muscleman in a suit stepped in, slowly pounding a fist into his free hand. "You messed wit' the Skullers for the last time."

"Yeah, they _did_ say something like that back in your 'secret penthouse hideout'," Leo said with an impish grin. "Maybe it's like a delayed thing, eh?"

Normally, one would think it was just plain stupid to taunt somebody twice their weight who had no qualms about using lethal force. However, as dangerous as an irritated enemy was, anger often led to lapses in judgment, particularly when thinking already wasn't part of the daily agenda. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was a fight Leo would lose if he took it head on; but if he could get this guy to make the first move, he could control the fight from there.

The big man's eyes flared as he wound up for a punch that would send Leo into next week if it connected.

Ducking to the side, Leo put a foot against one of the shaft support beams and pushed hard to send himself barreling into the ham-handed Skuller stooge.

"Oof!" The maneuver was enough to push the guy a few feet back, but it left Leo flopping to the ground, catching himself just short of faceplanting. Unfortunately, that meant that by the time Leo was back on his feet, the goon would be all over him.

_Or sooner than that, _Leo realized as a shined shoe came down on his hand. He yelped in pain as the pressure cut through the Movermesh and dug into his skin. Glancing up, Leo could just make out the Thug's grinning face as he cracked his knuckles.

"This's over, flatfoot."

"_Graugh!_" Crunch!

Leo blinked as what looked like a shark dove out of the ground, eclipsed the man, and disappeared again with a flick of its tail. Like a magic trick, the former barrier to his escape was gone. In its place was a far more bizarre and potentially lethal threat.

"What in the...?!"

Uncertainly getting to his feet, Leo hugged one of the support beams of the structure and scanned the ground, looking for some sign that the same thing might happen again.

It did. The concrete rippled, giving way to an electric blue fin that lazily circled his position. Leo frowned. _Is that a... shark?_

Almost as quickly as it had appeared, the fin dipped back below the ground.

"Or maybe my mind's just playing tricks on me," he murmured and cracked a wry smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't hit the ground _that_ hard, did I?"

"_Graugh!"_

Leo flinched and stumbled backwards as what very much _did_ look like a shark emerged from the ground and snapped at the empty air he'd been occupying a moment ago.

"Well... gosh, can't say I've been in this situation before," he noted breathlessly as he scanned his surroundings for a way out. Whatever the shark thing was, it seemed bound to the ground level. If he could get above that, he'd at least secure a safe place to figure out what the heck was going on.

Scrambling up one of the support beams, Leo got himself to the next level up just as the land shark tried to make another pass at him. Sinking back into the groundwork, the aquatic monster slunk away. Once he was safely situated, Leo turned around and tried to locate the beast's blue fin again to get a handle on what the creature really was.

"_GRAUGH!" _The shark's bellow caught him by surprise as the creature launched itself twenty feet out of the ground and bore down on him with open jaws. Leo felt his feet trying to move, to push him anywhere but there, but that only succeeded in losing his balance. The sickening feeling of an uncontrolled fall sent his arms into automatic, his fingers brushed then caught on the beam.

It wouldn't be enough though.

His life seemed to be running at half time as he stared horrified into the rows of teeth rapidly filling his vision. He couldn't get back up and away fast enough, back down was his only option. Letting go of the beam and twisting around, Leo could only hope that he'd hit the ground running before the monster could envelope him.

"_Black Hole!_"

Leo felt a gale of suction pulling against his fall for just a moment, before he landed in an awkward roll and stumbled into a support beam. He tried to take another step, but he was going more sideways than forward at that point. Something had to be wrong with his inner ear. Where was the shark? He'd lost interest in observing it. That could wait until it wasn't threatening his life. He needed to keep moving. He couldn't give it the chance to recover.

_Have to keep moving..._

"Relax, would ya?"

Leo spun on the speaker, half expecting to be met with another gaping shark maw. After all, the thing could friggin' swim through concrete; why not talk?

He stopped mid-motion as he realized it wasn't another shark, or another one of the Skullers' Suited Thugs, for that matter. No, instead it was an auburn haired woman. A pair of gold tinted oval glasses on her face resting above an unamused frown. She carried some kind of mini-tablet with her, but otherwise appeared to be unarmed. It briefly occurred to Leo that she could still be a peripheral member of the gang, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Her get-up was decidedly less revealing than that of a Skuller dame.

Still, that didn't mean she wasn't also out for his hide.

"And you are...?" Leo asked carefully, taking a step back for every one she took forward.

"Well now, is that any way to treat someone who just saved you from being Noise food? Here's a thought, kiddo: maybe I got rid of the shark because I _don't _want you dead."

Leo winced in confusion. "You... you what? 'Noise food'? What do you—"

"The ravenous physics-defying beast that just tried to gut you for lunch?" She responded dryly. "Yeah, you're welcome."

_She'd_ taken out that thing? Well... she wasn't exactly toothpick skinny like some of the girls in Tokyo, but she still couldn't have weighed more than a buck ten. Other than the mini computer tablet she was holding, something between the size of a reader and a phone, actually, she wasn't visibly armed with anything; and there was no way she'd taken the thing out with her bare hands. Not unless it was way easier to kill than it looked.

"Okaaay, let's do this," the woman sighed, adjusting her glasses. "Take a deeeep breath." She demonstrated with a prolonged inhale and motioned for him to do the same before exhaling. "Now, stop acting like a child and listen, would you? I'm here to make you an offer, Mr. Parker."

"An...'offer'?" Leo frowned. He couldn't remember the last offer anyone had given him in years (bar the repeated offers for a fractured rib cage the Skullers were always bringing up). After a certain point, it'd just been accepted that he wasn't the sort of guy who got those kinds of things. "And what would that be...?"

The woman gave a wry smile and extended her mini tablet towards him. "Let's call it... clean up work, shall we? In a place far, far away from all these lovely people who want your hands on a spit.

**Yutsui Koizumi – King of** **J0KER**

"Between you and me, darling, this neighborhood is getting a little dangerous," her smile took on an odd glint. "Better decide who you belong with, before you find the deck stacked against you."

**-J-**

"You know, you could stand to do something with your life."

Izo Shuito, a young, acerbic intellectual with blue hair and a misanthropic streak at least a mile-and-a-half long, gave an irritated grunt and continued to attempt poetry. A difficult task when being pestered, to be sure. His foster sister, Rei, often made this argument; most usually as a prelude to a shopping trip.

Hopefully she just wanted some fresh air this time; shopping was a pox upon his very soul.

"I mean, if you could just get out there and live a little, you'd see there's so much more to the world," she went on, undeterred. "Like... you might even find you _like_ shopping if you cared one wit about your appearance."

"Why don't you reconnoiter your own endeavors before chastising mine, tyke?" Izo growled back. He pushed his shades further up his nose so they completely blocked his eyes. It wasn't likely, given the irrefutable difference in their basic vocabulary, but there was slight chance Rei would get the hint and leave him alone.

"Oh, Come OOOON!"

Izo flinched into a frantic flail as his glasses jolted off and he was dragged to his feet in a headlock. In spite of the fact that it was a classless tactic, Rei had no qualms about enacting it when other options failed. Izo scowled. She had no sense of taste for these things.

"No!" Izo cried, prying ineffectively at Rei's grip. "I demand manumission! I can't bre-rgmph!"

"No buts!" Rei practically sang, apparently unaware that Izo's face was starting to match his blue hair. "We're gonna do something today, whether you like it or—"

_Knock, knock, knock_.

Rei twitched and loosened her chokehold just enough that Izo could slip a bony wrist in and break free, tumbling to the ground. Apparently she hadn't been expecting company. A true rarity.

A muffled voice came through the door. "Hello? Shuito Residence?"

"Friend or foe?" Rei called back tentatively.

Izo rolled his eyes as he retrieved his shades from the floor. "And what, pray tell, sort of foes might you be prognosticating?" he grumbled to his foster sister. "Are we behind on our debts again?"

She wheeled to make a face at him.

"Friends!" Another voice announced cheerily. Izo was getting the slightly hopeful feeling that it could be some of Rei's old classmates, here to spirit her away on a shop-a-thon. "Mind if we come in?"

"Umm..." Rei gave Izo a questioning look, as if _he_ would know whether or not it was safe.

He scowled back and turned himself away. _Let her figure it out on her own, the tyke._

"...Recite the password!"

"We don't have a password," Izo pointed out to his ash-haired foster sister.

"Yeah, but they don't know that," Rei whispered conspiratorially as she jerked her thumb towards the door. "If they're strangers, then maybe it'll scare them off."

"And if they're official, then maybe it'll warrant you a trip to the asylum," the azure haired teen retorted. "Just answer the stupid door already."

Rei clenched her fists at her sides and pouted, refusing to move.

"...You still there?" The cheery voice asked, a little more aggressive now. "Hello?" The door knob jiggled slightly, as if to confirm it really was locked.

As it turned a full quarter, Izo's heart seized. No, it wasn't locked. Rei had forgotten.

The door swung open smoothly to reveal two figures. Stepping in with an air of confidence only a child or a supremely arrogant adult could muster, a tweenage boy with a blazing collection of hair spikes populating his head grinned down at Izo. The poet could almost swear there was a hint of madness in those eyes.

"Heya.

**Pokoni – Seven of J0KER**

"You free for a sec?"

Izo looked wide-eyed up at Rei, who just stood frozen, her mouth slightly agape in a decidedly less than dignified way.

"Pokoni, was that really necessary?" The first speaker, a tall girl with ribbons adorning her dark hair and garments, entered after the rather-possibly-pyschotic boy.

**Ayane Tajima – Queen of J0KER**

"What?" The boy's voice went to a sharp squeak as he turned to pout up at his companion. "They weren't answering! 'Sides, this is important!"

"So important as to forgo common courtesy?" The ribboned girl sighed. "You and I both know what Yutsui's going to say about that."

"Wait, How did you get in? Did-did you break the lock!?" Rei finally found her voice. "How the heck did you do that?"

"We didn't break anything," the mystery girl stated simply, putting her palms upward in a peaceful gesture. "My associate here simply lacks some key principles of etiquette."

The boy twitched at the reprimand. "Of whatiquette?"

"Manners," Ribbons corrected quickly. "Sorry, I've been hanging around Collin and Arisa again. But that's beside the point; Next time wait."

The boy's eyes flashed, but only for a moment. Dipping his head in a submissive bow, he stepped back and crossed his arms as the girl stepped forward to take center stage. Despite her simple appearance (bar the tacky ribbons), Izo had to admit she was probably the most commanding persona in the room at the time. She had dignity, poise, and patience. In a sentence: the exact opposite of Rei.

Beside him, his foster sister shifted to a more casual stance, attempting to show that she wasn't intimidated. Izo sighed and shook his head. This wasn't the kind of situation to be taken lightly. In all likelyhood, they were here for her anyway.

"Izo Shuito?"

He paused for a moment as any and all attempts to just stay out of this went out the window. Biting down on the urge to squirm under their scrutiny, Izo scowled and looked up into the speaker's eyes. There wasn't a threat hiding in those dark brown irises, but he could almost feel them pulling him in past their serene surface. A grimace tried to pass his face before he nodded reluctantly.

"We've come to offer you an opportunity," The girl informed him evenly. "You see... you have some latent abilities that would be very helpful to our plight. Something that goes beyond just 'special', something that could change the world—"

"Hey!" Rei cut in before the other girl could continue. "What about me, huh? Am I special too?"

The red haired monkey boy grinned again and was about to answer when Ribbons beat him to it. "Not quite, Ms. Shuito," The dark haired girl replied. "I can't give you the exact details, it's a complicated and highly experimental field right now. However, we do know that it's at least partially genetic, and that your genetic code doesn't match what we're looking for."

"Wait... But _his _does?" Rei demanded, putting an irritated wave towards Izo. He tried not to roll his eyes at the childish jealousy. "Do you know _anything_ about this guy besides his DNA? You probably couldn't get him to say two words for you."

"We know he's hard up for cash," the boy volunteered. "But that could be more just because he lives with you."

"The point, Ms. Shuito," Ribbons went on before Rei could snap back at the impudent child. "Is that Izo is a rare element that we've spent the last few months searching for. With his permission, we'd like to train him in the use of his talents."

Rei's complexion flaired, contrasting hard with her ashen hair. "What is this, a spy movie? I've known Izo practically his whole life; I think I'd have noticed something like that about him by now."

"Your opinion is acknowledged; but with all due respect, this isn't your decision to make."

"..."

Slowly, all eyes came to rest on Izo, who shifted uncomfortably as he tried to not look awkward picking himself up off the floor. He ran a hand through his blue hair, trying to buy time by looking like he was composing himself rather than frantically searching for an answer.

Stiffly adjusting himself, he squinted behind his shades and cleared his throat. "...What talents?"

Ribbons shrugged. "It all depends," she said slowly, her voice's even cadence reining the situation in. "Each case we've come across manifests it differently. In any case, I suppose a demonstration would best suit."

"Yeah?" The fire-haired boy's eyes lit up with anticipation.

"Not from you," The young woman ammended, putting a hand on her cohort's arm.

The boy seemed ready to resist; but after the touch made contact, his tense form relaxed and he nodded reluctantly. Izo watched warily as the ribboned girl then came to him and held out her hands.

"Here," she flicked her brown eyes downwards before meeting his stare again. "It's the fastest way you'll understand."

Izo's hands stayed at his sides.

The young woman smiled, undeterred. "It'll be easier for you if you initiate it," she told him softly. "Don't worry, I'll try to take it slow."

"Oh, brother," Rei groaned, slapping a hand to her eyes in exasperation. "What kind of a pick-up line is that?"

Izo cleared his throat and flicked a warning glance back at his foster sister before haltingly unpeeling his hands from where they rested. Maybe this was all a joke. The girl could just be going to some extreme measures to hold his hands; It wouldn't be the first time his erstwhile affections had been sought. Some miserable girl had confessed to him last month too. He'd been certain to quickly shoot down her aspirations. To be perfectly frank, he simply wasn't interested.

"If this is a trick..." he growled slowly.

"I assure you, it is not," the girl returned calmly. "If you want to take me at my word about our abilities, that will do just as well."

Well... she did have a point. He _did_ want to know whether or not they were only half-crazy, or true, full-pint loons. If nothing else, he'd have a solid verdict to give the authorities if and when things really went south.

That didn't mean he was any more comfortable with offering his hands to a stranger.

Not fighting the pouting scowl that plastered itself across his face, Izo jerkily raised his hands before dropping them into her waiting ones.

Immediately, a wave of relaxation washed over him. As if he had suddenly had an epiphany, or perhaps become enlightened to a beautiful sonnet, his very soul seemed to lighten and his tight, wary muscles slowly unwound themselves. The sort of solace he had only felt when shut away in his room, alone, came now readily in the presence of strangers. His mouth worked, trying to stutter out the question of what in the world was going on. He blinked rapidly as his eyesight temporarily blurred.

When the world came into clarity again, he wasn't looking at the ribboned girl anymore. Instead, he was presented with a blue haired young man with shades. The soft lines of youth still dominated his face, but there was an odd, weary hollowness in some of his features. It was a face Izo knew well.

It was his own.

"What...what are you doing to me?"

Completing the surreal image, Izo watched as his own mouth formed the words and his eyes moved to and fro in a vain attempt to regain their stolen sight. The scene didn't change. He was watching himself through another set of eyes.

Slowly, his vision blurred again before he found himself flicking his eyes around the room. Realizing he was once more in control, he settled into a horrified stare at the dark haired girl. His body shivered badly as feeling fully reconnected through his nerves and his mind settled.

"Do you understand now?"

Izo pulled his hands back. "What did you just do? Why was I in your head?"

"Whoa! Chill, fos-bro!" Rei chided, putting a hand on his shoulder. As usual, she was forgetting how much he hated that. "She didn't do anything! She just held your hands and smiled like an idiot. What are ya goin' ballistic for?"

"I know what I saw," Izo hissed. "That wasn't normal!"

"So you agree we are special," Ribbons concluded for him. Her smile, though completely unchanged in shape and position, now seemed alien in light of what had just happened. "Will you come with us then?"

"No," Izo said quickly. His face was beginning to feel flushed with rage. "Listen, you trans-substantial conjurer, that. Was. Terrifying! You call that going slow?"

"Awww..." Rei sidled up to him again. "Is your people-phobia kicking in again? Hey, I know what we can do to fight that!"

"No!" He slipped out of her grip before she could take him out the door. "No shopping! For the umpteenth iteration, Rei, you _know_ how I feel about that!"

"So you'd rather stay here," Ribbons conjectured pointedly, crossing her arms casually. "I suppose people will always tend towards what is familiar after all, even if it's something they hate. That's too bad. I'd really thought we could help you."

"Stop employing loaded language!" Izo demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the girl. "I am not some knob to be turned!"

"Then you want power?"

"I want to be left alone!"

"We can give you that."

He snorted. "Not without going vis-a-vis you can't. I can infer how these things work, thank you, and I'm not interested in peddling my soul."

"So you'd rather smother it in some mall?" The half-pint asked, crossing his arms. "Geez, what an alternative."

"Enough, Pokoni," Ribbons said softly, before again locking eyes with Izo. "If I can promise you emancipation through your actions, both from here _and _from us, will you come?"

Izo's face twitched into a snarl for a moment. "Oh, that's saccharine. You say that like I'm not set on being indoctrinated into a clandestine cult by going with you! I've already—"

The diminutive red-head sighed. "Told you we should've just bagged 'em."

"—had to... What!?"

The girl's long, dark hair swung side to side as she resolutely shook her head. "No," she stated. "That is not how we do things."

Rei gave an irritated huff and turned away. "...Just go."

"Et tu, Rei!?" Izo glared. "And what stake do you hold in this affair?"

"You've got to do something with yourself, right?" his foster sister sighed. "I guess this is the chance you need. Not the sort of thing you get everyday, but it's sure to land you safe and sound when you're done. Just make sure to come back in one piece, alright?"

Setting his mouth in a scowl, Izo snorted. "As if I'd ever succumb to such a request."

"Soooo, is that yes?" the red-haired hooligan prodded, bumping his pint-sized fists together for emphasis. Faintly, it almost seemed as if sparks appeared with the contact.

"It means I won't do this for you, or her, or anyone else," Izo stated icily, brushing his azure hair to the side. As much as he hated to admit it, perhaps Rei did have a point. "If I partake in your mission, I'll be doing it for me."

Ribbons gave a soft smile at that. "I have no doubt you will," she told him. "But you might be surprised where you end up when you run with us."

"Unlikely," Izo snorted again. This woman was more wily than Rei, he'd have to be careful.

She shrugged, unfazed by his apathy. "Only time will tell which of us is right, and who is playing the joke on whom. You have until dusk to prepare your final response, Mr. Shuito. We'll be waiting."

With that, the ribboned girl gave a respectful bow and turned to go. Throwing a quick wave, her diminutive companion grinned once more, apparently satisfied with the results of their visit, and followed at an ambling pace. The moment they were out of sight, Izo felt his chest deflating as the situation sunk in.

Even in the face of the obvious abnormalities, there was definitely more going on here than met the eye; and whatever it was that they were hiding, Izo got the feeling he wanted to stay on its good side.

"Wow... they could be serious," Rei noted with a finger to her mouth, still watching the now-empty doorway.

"Is there even the phantom of a misgiving on that?" Izo grumbled. Rei's ignorance was starting to give him a migraine... He put his fingers to his forehead and started to rub. He needed to think about how he could possibly say no at this point. Or, failing that as he likely would, how he would accept their offer while still maintaining some degree of control.

"But you're still going along with them?"

"Were you listening at _all_ or were you just talking because you like the way your voice sounds when it clashes with logic?" Izo demanded, his tone taking an even darker turn than usual. "This is _real_, tyke. I'm about to be abducted by either a secret society, or a bunch of twitties who can back it up anyways!"

Rei frowned. "They _did_ give you a choice."

"If that was a choice, then I'm as addle-sighted as you are," Izo fumed. "This is something big, Rei. I've got to keep my wits about me, or it could be sayonara in a heartbeat."

"Whatever you say," his foster sister sighed, rolling her eyes. "Promise to write at least, m'kay?"

"...I hate you."

"Love you too, fos-bro. I love you too."

**-J-**

_Whap_

The silver-haired man grunted as he absorbed the impact.

_Whap whap whap_

Three more hits. He fought the weakening in his knees and focused, waiting for the moment.

His opponent lifted her right leg from the ground, preparing for a knee-finisher. The man smiled. Shifting his weight onto his forward foot, he pivoted into a point-blank shoulder tackle. Without the grounding of both feet, his target lost her balance; in a moment, they were both on the ground.

The young woman groaned as she got up on her elbows and gave a halfhearted nudge at his face with the toe of her boot. "...Hey. I _will _win, next time..." She paused and corrected herself. "Eventually..."

"Your sentiments are noted," the man replied, wincing as he gathered himself to a crouch. The circular ornamental engravings on the polished wood floor were still spinning, though not as badly as usual. "But for now, can't we just call it a day?"

The girl, a blonde of middling height with a long braid down her back, shook her head slowly. "We're stuck here, on an island in the middle of the ocean, and we're not getting _un_stuck until Master Tanaka gets back. What else _can_ we do?"

"Free running down at the wharf," the man suggested, putting an arm over his eyes. "They've got some nice rock formations for you to—"

"Oh, you know I would..." A tired smile flitted across the young woman's face as she began playing with her braid. "But, of course, we're not supposed to 'attract attention'. The locals're already staring at me for not having my own fishing pole."

"...Chess?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "So you can win at something else?"

"You're getting better," he pointed out.

"Mmhmm, I've moved out of the three-move-kill zone. Hooray for me."

"..."

They drifted into silence for a little while, the man taking the time to bask in the absence of their daily sparring. It wasn't a _bad_ life. Living away from mainlands actually brought a great sense of peace (when it wasn't raining cats and dogs, of course). Summer had been just lovely, full of local seafood dishes that borrowed from both American and Japanese tradition, and long nights of just looking up into the night sky while cool breezes whispered their way across the isle to the rhythmic hush of waves on the sand. But there was also that lingering feeling that there was _something_ that needed to be done that they just couldn't reach yet.

After all, years of training usually begged the question of what one was actually training for.

Suddenly, the girl perked up. "Did you hear that?"

The man gave her a tired blink. "Is this a rhetorical question, or do you want me to say yes?"

He winced as a pebble bounced off of his face.

"Come on!" She was on her feet now, and motioning for him to do the same. "It's coming from the village!"

Scrambling up to his feet, the man followed his companion out the door only to nearly bowl her over when he found her frozen at the doorstep.

"...Getotsu..." She breathed his name. "...What the hell is that...?"

Getotsu, the silver-haired man, felt his heart seize momentarily as he sorted through the sensory barrage. He'd been expecting another local festival celebrating some change in wind or another, or perhaps simply an unforeseen storm on the horizon. Something much worse waited beyond the deck of Master Tanaka's cottage. There was fear in the air. A chorus of screams echoed up from the village. There was no fire, no impending flood or invasion.

But there was a deformed Rhinoceros stalking up the path to their dwelling.

"Gloves?" the blonde woman requested out of the side of her mouth, still unmoving.

Getotsu raised his eyebrows. "Now?"

"Now!" She hissed, shooting him a meaningful look.

Ducking back inside, Getotsu ran through the living room and practically tore the sliding door leading to the back rooms off its hinges. The back rooms, usually undisturbed on even a lively day, whirled with wind as he bolted to their quarters. Ever since they'd been stationed on this island, he hadn't really seen his partner using her EM tech. Hopefully that meant it had kept its charge. Electromagnetic OverAssist gear, usually manifested in boots and gloves to enhance parkour maneuvering, did just fine doubling as a combat enhancer when one was a practiced brawler. Considering what they were up against, it was possible that the EM gloves were their only hope of subduing the stray beast.

_How does a thing like that even get here?_ Getotsu wondered, digging through drawers to find the EM gear lovingly tucked away under a spare pair of camo-print trousers. Grabbing the gloves and stuffing the remaining items back into the drawer, he sprinted back towards the front.

Much to his chagrin, the front now had a few additional entrances punched through the walls.

"Nel?" He called out, quickly scanning the area. "Nel, where are you?"

"_Grmmph!"_ The rhino snorted as it charged back onto the scene.

_No choice!_ Without a moment to lose, Getotsu slipped on one of the gloves and opened his palm towards the rampaging monster.

There was a crackle as a burst of green, arching veins reached through the air, enveloping the Rhino's face and forelegs. And then, just like that, the flash was gone and the Rhino was still moving.

Narrowly avoiding the horn aimed for his abdomen, Getotsu tumbled into the wall and covered his head as a shelf came down on him.

A resonant thump signaled another descent, causing Getotsu to cringe again. He needed to get back on his feet before he found a horn in his back.

"Thanks," Nelliel Reagan, or "Nel" as she was more often called, retrieved the gloves from his care before hoisting him out of the rubble. She gave an apologetic frown and slipped the gear on. "That... looks like it hurt."

"Me or the rhino?" the silver-haired man asked hopefully, dusting himself off. It hadn't _seemed_ like the shock had an effect from where he stood, but maybe...

"You," Nel answered curtly. "Whatever that thing is, it shrugged off your blast like it was nothing."

Getotsu nodded slowly as he forced his still-spinning mind into focus. "Sooo... if we can't fight it..."

"We run?" the young woman sighed. "Yeah... looks like we have to. Let's at least try to minimize the damage to the house."

"Where to, then?"

The duo split formation as the Rhino charged in once again, skidding to a halt on the now ruined living room floor. Glaring back at them, it snorted.

"... Great question."

"The village probably has the same problem, eh?"

"Well, it sure _would,_ if we lured this thing there," Nel gritted out. "Can we lead it further inland?"

"And off a cliff?" Getotsu conjectured. "Perhaps... Not that we really have any better—"

"_Luminescence!_"

Like an orbital bombardment from the war firing forty years late, a pillar of light engulfed the hulking rhino (as well as a good portion of the house), leaving in its wake a smoldering crater.

"Whoops," Someone with an entirely unapologetic tone of voice sighed behind them. "Looks like I'll have to deduct that from the damages."

Getotsu and Nel snapped into ready position as they spun towards the source, adrenaline running high.

"My, my, a bit high-strung, are we?"

The speaker, a well dressed boy with pale blond hair, parted at the center, flipped his fingers through his bangs and smiled.

**Rueban – Eight of J0KER**

"Sorry about the entrance, but I couldn't really let things drag out any further."

Nel found her tongue before Getotsu, who simply stood there slack jawed and slumped in awe. "How... did you...?"

"Again, sorry, but explanations can wait for the chopper ride," the boy stated calmly. "Mr. Tanaka and the others are waiting for us in Tokyo."

Getotsu and Nel exchanged a look. "Others?" There were _others_ that could do this sort of thing?

That got a chuckle."Yes, others. Your new best friends in the fight against the Noise. Unless, of course, you'd rather we just erase your memories, which can be arranged."

"Erase our memories?" Getotsu tried not to balk. Either there was a volcanic vent intoxicating his senses or this was the weirdest day of his life. "Who are you people?"

"Hmm?" the boy put a hand to his chin and tilted his head back slightly. "In general? Well, usually that's classified information, but considering the circumstances I suppose I can let it slide.

"We're part of something called Deck, an organization formed to investigate and eliminate extra-dimensional creatures invading our world. If you want to be specific about it though..."

**-J-**

In a room high above the city streets, overlooking Tokyo, a man with a steaming mug of coffee watched storm clouds forming outside his window. Turning back to his desk, he opened a folder containing fourteen files. He took another sip and smiled quietly as he looked back up and the doors to his office opened.

"Welcome to _J0KER_."

*****Author's Note*****

_Za kalidas! I have returned! Hello, everyone, and welcome to my Shibuya Operation – Story Storm entry. Please check out the community for more great stories that will publish this winter! As said, much earlier, this is a fan fiction about other fan fiction about The World Ends With You. As is such, the cast will be composed completely of OCs; some of them planned to appear in From the Underground Up. To help with the fan-data spread, I'll try to include character notes to help you find where certain characters come from and how I perceive them, But before that, why not start with the obvious?_

*****Secret Report: The Deckverse*****

_The Deckverse was created by Amulet Misty for the fic Deck 104. Think of it as a Post-WWIII-TWEWY-X-Men-ish setting wherein psyches are manifested as a genetic alteration that allows the human body to access and manipulate "O-Energy". The O-Gene is proprietary property of Deck, a secret organization formed to fight Noise, extra-dimensional monsters breaking through into our world. In the original Deckverse, although the main TWEWY cast was maintained, a major feature of the story was the inclusion and expansion of many side characters from the original TWEWY, namely shopkeepers. Thus, in this offshoot, the main focus goes to the next most under-recognized group: the characters the fans created! If you came here looking for Neshiki fluff, we apologize and encourage you to check out Amulet Misty's Sanctuary where it reigns triumphant. This is gonna be its own show._

_Being a future world, there's plenty of room for hypothetical technologies (such as Movermesh) as well as a redistribution of population centers and general free license with the state of technology and politics in certain areas post-war. Also, keep in mind that the original Deck 104 is currently unfinished as I write this, so certain theoretics on how the universe works might be a tad eschew here. _

_Oh, and you'll notice certain hallmarks, such as Deck introductions, have carried over. Naturally, that means that something else has also been kept: The Forum!_

**}The Inside Joke{**

*****In order to facilitate clear communication between the J0KER unit, I've authorized my tech center to partition a piece of the server for your exclusive use. Please use it to exchange information and grow as a unit; don't be afraid to have fun and bond with eachother! I'll be watching just in case you need me.**(YuuMeAndAMocha)

-With all due respect, sir, isn't this somewhat redundant to the Thread 104 program already running on your servers?(RueTheDay)

-It would be, if they were supposed to know about us.(-Sentence-)

-What? Don't be silly, Aya-chan. MinamiMathCorp gives Deck a lot of its funding. What could they possibly have to hide?(}+REvanantCG+{)

-Your concerns are noted, Collin. Regrettably, due to the nature of your mission, secrecy must be maintained for the time being. Perhaps eventually the two will merge. On that note, it only naturally follows that you and Rueban will be taking a leave of absence as our communications team with them. You may resume this work upon your safe return though.(YuuMeAndAMocha)

-Understood, sir. (RueTheDay)

-Got it, what he said. (}+REvanantCG+{)

**\\Island Noise: TAPPed!. wtgw on everyone else's missions? **(ari3)

-Great! I'm just making the final equipment checks now. (}+REvanantCG+{)

-Well. I've secured targets one and two, we'll be meeting you outside the village when convenient; have the chopper ready. (RueTheDay)

-Lame. Ayane won't let me talk to the target D'X (2little2late)

-wa Ayumu? (ari3)

-? [what do you even mean!?] (}+REvanantCG+{)

-Sorry; "what about" Ayumu? [I keep forgetting you don't understand my acronyms...](ari3)

-Ayumu doesn't use the forum. You know, with his condition and all... (RueTheDay)

-Oh... lolwut. ^^' Guess I forgot about that...(ari3)

**\\Welcome to the party everyone! XD Let's, like, make this super-rock, 'kay? **(Kyaaa)

-Your motivation is touching, Kyasako. Keep it up! (YuuMeAndAMocha)

-*Sigh* So long as it doesn't disrupt the official use of the forum, I suppose it can be allowed. (HotSpringKoi)

- Yuu: Thanx mr. Director-san-sama! I'll do my best! Koi-chan/kun:No worries! I'll be like, super smooth about it ;D! Btw, who r you? It's kinda hard to tell with ur screen name. (Kyaaa)

-That's Koizumi-Sama. Because I'm the tech officer, I got to choose screen names for the members who neglected to do so. (}+REvanantCG+{)

-8O That's Koizumi-sama?! And she hasn't changed it yet?! (2little2late)

-Y'know, in a way it suits her. imho.(ari3)

-Probably doesn't consider it worth the trouble to route through the 'settings' labyrinth. You know how she is. (RueTheDay)

-Oh, I see. That explains why she assigned Collin as our Two. Crossing Koizumi is never without consequence. (-Sentence-)

-Yup, crime and punishment! (2little2late)

-wgaca, as I always say. (ari3)

-Hey! Stop, like, ganging up on Collin! :( We're supposed to be making this super-rock! (Kyaaa)

-It's hard to take you seriously with that smiley in the middle.(RueTheDay)

-Shut up and get back to work, these reply notifications are interrupting my meeting. Next person to post on this topic before dinner has to run orientation with me. (HotSpringKoi)

-Y-yes Ma'am!(2little2late)

-...(-Sentence-)

*****Also reflecting our Deck counterparts, you've been granted a music player. Due to his vast music collection, I've selected Collin as your DJ.** (YuuMeAndAMocha)

-Collin? D,X but he only plays pre-2030 stuff... what about tunes that Rn't 50 years old? And not either a soundtrack or that one band?(2little2late)

-Those /two/ bands, thank you. Respect the classics, Mocha-san has spoken. (}+REvanantCG+{)

-...Mocha-san? v_v' (RueTheDay)

**#WildcardShuffle – Current Song – Here's the News(Brave Saint Saturn)**


	2. Game II: Mow

**Deck: J0KER**

By Chronic Guardian

**Game II: Mow**

_Rules:_

_The object of the game is to empty your hand and declare yourself "King Mow", thereby gaining the right to declare a new rule for the next round. Each player starts with five to seven cards (depending on the number of players) and plays his (or her) cards in the style of crazy eights (a style also employed by uno) wherein the current player must match some category of the previously played card, be it in suit or number. If a player does not possess a card that fulfills these requirements, he (or she) must draw from the stock. At either conclusion, the turn ends and the next in the circle begins his (or her) turn. When a player only possesses one card, he (or she) must declare "Mow". Each time a player does not observe a rule, he (or she) will receive an additional card from the stock. Base rules include declaring spade cards, switching direction of play with Aces, declaring "Mow" and "King Mow", not touching cards until it is declared "let the game of Mow now commence", and remaining absolutely vocally silent unless otherwise required by the rules. _

_-J0KER, October 2104, Direct Retrievable Audio Wave #107: Conversation between members Two and Jack as follows._

"Well, well, well," *thump* "Welcome home. Mission productive much?"

"..."

"What? Oh! Right, sorry. I forgot you don't like... physical contact."

"You're odd, Collin."

"Well... yeah, I get that a lot."

"..."

"...Anyway, did you get the recruit?"

"...Yes. He's just putting his stuff in his room before he meets Director Minamimoto. If you don't mind, I could use a little rest myself."

"That difficult, huh? I heard Ayane and Pokoni had trouble with theirs, too."

"Not like them. It was the Noise."

"Really? How many?"

"Five."

"And you took them all by yourself while protecting the recruit?"

"Sort of. I led them into Clubs territory. Deck took it from there."

"Dang... must've been quite the chase. Good thing you know the Midori district so well. I would've needed—"

"—Your shiny new CARD?"

"Yeah, they're pretty neat! They even set up a forum for us. That's how I've been keeping tabs on everyone's progress while I'm stuck at base."

"I can't stand the audio they picked for the interface."

"Why not just turn it off?"

"..."

"Oh! Oh, right. Sorry. The way you jump around in conversations, sometimes I forget—"

"—crucial details?"

"...Yeah."

"..."

"I'll.. umm... I'll work on that then."

"...Thank you, Collin."

- Close (DRAW#107)-

**-J-**

The blond boy in the broad-shouldered suit jacket, Rueban, once again sighed and adjusted himself in his seat as he navigated his data assistant. Getotsu watched from across the chamber with detached interest, resting his cheek on his palm as they glided towards their destination. What had the boy called the device? A card? _Must be what the city folks call tablets these days_, Getotsu thought, craning his neck to look out the window. Below, ocean waves rushed by while reflecting a dusky, cloud littered sunset. Deciding to go with the boy hadn't taken much convincing beyond a signed letter from their master. Nel wanted off the island and both of them wanted to see Master Tanaka again. Even if the well-dressed blond hadn't saved them from a possessed rhinoceros, they probably would still have acquiesced in a heartbeat.

Beside Getotsu, Nel sat with her arms and legs crossed, her left foot tapping a steady beat on the helicopter floor. Her eyes flicked between studying the boy across from them and wandering the remaining interior of the vehicle. If they'd thought to bring along a rubix cube to pass the time...

The cockpit was behind them. Before they had taken off, Getotsu had caught a glimpse of a young woman in a pale lavender pea coat at the controls. She had warm peach hair and an olive green scarf, both in tones muted enough that they well matched her rosy complexion. Rueban had called her name when they boarded, but Getotsu hadn't quite caught it. Alice? Eliza? Something like that. It was something else he'd have to clarify eventually.

"How long have we been flying?" Getotsu murmured softly. Out the window, the lights of the mainland were beginning to light the dusked horizon.

Rueban looked up from his card with a politely blank expression. "... Some time now. You fell asleep about halfway through, the better part of the flight's now behind us. We should be back soon."

"..."

Nel stirred and opened her mouth for the first time since they'd begun the journey. "...Then what?"

"Lots of stuff," Rueban answered, a self amused smile surfacing at his vagueness. "Not the least of which is an assembly to welcome you in and help you meet the rest of the family."

"About that..." Nel straightened up a little and brushed some of her sunburst bangs back behind her ears, "How do you know Master Tanaka?"

Rueban pursed his lips and shrugged noncommittally. "Second hand experience, mostly. 'Friends of friends' sort of thing." He paused and smiled again. "Well... if you can call a direct superior a friend, anyway."

"So you met him on business?" Getotsu pressed gently. The silver-haired man had never been the type to pressure for information, but anything concerning Master Tanaka was generally of interest to his pupils. "But aren't you...?"

"A little young to be doing things 'on business'?" Rueban finished for him, popping an eyebrow. "I'm a little young for a lot of things I do, Mr. Tezano. That tends to happen when you're a Blank."

Getotsu exchanged a look with Nel as the boy across the cabin again settled into reading his 'card'. What the heck was a Blank? Certainly it didn't refer to his personality; he seemed to have plenty of that, beneath the surface and otherwise.

"Pardon me," Getotsu began again, holding up a hand as if he were in grade school again. "But... what exactly does that mean?"

Rueban didn't look up. "Does what mean?"

"Being a 'Blank'." Getotsu elucidated. "What does it mean?"

"It means I don't have a family name," the boy replied with patience that sounded slightly patronizing.

Nel leaned back in her chair and squinted. "So... you're an orphan?

"Do I have to spell everything out for you?" Rueban chuckled. "That's troubling. How long are you going to last in our game when you need everything spoon fed?

"But yes, to answer your question directly, I am. I grew up under the auspices of Deck and more or less grew into the family business."

So_ they _are_ like a family of sorts, then,_ Getotsu thought, nodding as the concepts processed. _Which would explain the ambiguity about his 'superior' he talked about earlier._ "So, these 'others' you mentioned back at the island; you're pretty close with them?"

"Naturally," Rueban gave that wry smirk again as his index finger traced idle circles alongside his temples. "If I had a choice about it, things might be different, but I suppose all complaints can be eventually buried in favor of survival. Our line of work does that to you."

"And what exactly is your line of work?" Getotsu asked, now giving the boy an intent stare.

Rueban returned the gaze undaunted. "Now, now, I told you: it's no fun to play with an open hand. You want to understand how to play? You'll just have to see how the game unwinds."

_Well... that was helpful. _Getotsu shifted a look back to Nel that said "be careful with this kid". She shrugged. The silver-haired man shook his head and returned to looking out the window. Even after years of training with the young woman, Getotsu had yet to truly accept Nel's detached perspective on foreign matters. That wasn't to say she didn't care, of course, simply that she allowed a lot of things to roll off, like water off oil. She was selective about what bothered her; apparently, playing mind games didn't make the list.

It did for Getotsu, though. Getotsu was a man of forward thought and attitude. He liked simple, straight forward objectives, clear orders, and general good communication. Before becoming Ren's apprentice, he'd been training to join the Tokyo Police force. If things tried to become complicated, it was his primary instinct to simplify them.

Some, including Nel at first, attributed this to a lack in mental capacity. But while Getotsu was certainly no outstanding genius, he still had his strengths in the area. They just... rarely came to light.

"We'll be arriving at the mainland soon," Rueban murmured, seemingly to himself. "No stopping then; it's full speed ahead."

_Ahead to where?_ Getotsu wondered, watching as stars became eclipsed by clouds, smog, and light pollution. The cover of night embraced them into its fold and it was soon only the passing flicker of lights that brought snapshots of Rueban's form across the cabin, still rubbing his forehead and reading his card. Getotsu couldn't tell, but he thought that he saw a frown forming on the boy's previously impassive face.

_To where indeed..._

**-J-**

Evening had fully settled in Tokyo by the time the last recruitment party arrived at the Minamimoto Mathmatics, Arts, and Theory Tower. It was on odd setting to revisit for Renkuko Tanaka, watching as yet another team formed to face the Noise. In all honesty, he hadn't been expecting to see it again. Not from here, anyway.

It had been about thirteen years since his resignation, but the base of Yuu Minamimoto had seen little change in the time lapse. The same years that had worn strong lines into Ren's face hadn't seemed to touch the halls of the brilliant entrepreneur. As son to one of the war's greatest minds, it was little surprise to the business world that Yuu would excel and take a leading role in the reconstruction of the city. He built steady and built strong with the future in mind. Although the MATH Tower wasn't the tallest pillar in the skyline, it was likely the most sturdy. If the war against the Noise ever came to an extreme, Yuu had ensured the city a bastion to fight back from.

"And what have I been doing with those thirteen years?" Ren wondered quietly, resting a hand on the glass of the window. Well... besides running from his past, of course. He grimaced. What would Yutsui have to say about that? If he was lucky, she'd just slap him across the face and declare how worthless he was in front of her recruits. If she'd really brought him here to make him pay though...

The soft patter of foot steps caught up to the retired Deck member much earlier than their owner did. Still, Ren stood frozen, waiting to be broken from his spell as his eyes idly followed the streams of light filling the streets and his ears traced the hum and flow of air through hollow ducts.

"Mr. Tanaka?"

Ren stirred and turned towards the messy-haired blind boy who'd brought him to the tower. "Yes?"

"Have you had a chance to refresh yourself from the journey?

**Ayumu – Jack of J0KER**

"The others are waiting for us. We should hurry."

The boy certainly was brusque enough, at least. Ren couldn't decide if it was a trait Yutsui would appreciate or not. Regardless, apparently it hadn't deterred her from taking the child into her operation. Work with Deck was an open option for any Blank, but it took a certain breed to be chosen for a Suit. Even then, those that were selected for J0KER were a different strain. It didn't mean they were the best; in fact, it often insinuated the other Suits couldn't use them. One of the many requirements, though, was the approval of the current Suit leader, and, according to what his blind escort had told him, Yutsui had held the post ever since Ren's departure.

"Lead on," the ex-Deck operative acknowledged, giving a curt nod. Privately, he acknowledged the irony of being led by the blind, but members of J0KER were almost never what they seemed. The boy's eyes were sightless, true enough. However, it appeared his O-Gene had manifested an alternative for him.

Even to that day, Ren could only marvel at the oddity of the augmentation. Original development on the O-Gene was a subject of debate; some said that it went as far back as the War, others claimed it had only been realized in recent decades with the coming of the Noise. One thing was certain: the genetic supplement was more discovery than invention. The way that it interacted with the human body was still extremely unpredictable, and a full list of side-effects had never been completely exhausted by the current researchers in Deck.

Not to mention the abilities it granted. From super-human strength and mind reading, to lightning bolts and telekinesis, getting injected with the O-Gene was like reaching into the cosmic grab bag, yielding unique results every time.

In this particular young man's case, it seemed that a sort of extra-sensory sonar was part of the package. For the boy's sake, Ren hoped it wasn't the whole package, but with J0KER one could never be too certain. After all, they _were_ the scrap pile of Deck; you could never tell what sort of abilities ended up there.

The layout of the building hadn't actually changed since Ren's time, but he preferred to take as few hazards with navigation as possible in this particular situation. After a short walk down the gallery, passing walls only decorated by an occasional lamp funneling colored light down through a cone shaped shade, Ren followed the boy to one of the four elevators running up the tower and stepped inside.

"Thirteenth floor," the blind boy instructed, turning to face the doors as they slid closed, silent to most ears. "The Director is just meeting Ayane's group now. We should be able to make it before their introduction is over."

"Of course." Nodding slowly, Ren punched the stated button and braced himself as the elevator rose. Apparently the boy could also sense events that weren't in his immediate vicinity. Either that, or someone had supplied him with an audio link. Considering Ren's own O-Gene honed senses, however, it was unlikely that such could occur without him noticing.

"Yutsui's been looking forward to meeting you again," the boy mumbled, playing with his hands behind his back. "She won't admit it, but we can tell she misses you."

"Oh?" Ren prompted after a moment, raising his hazel brows.

The blind boy nodded, the motion bouncing his messy, golden curls.

After another spat of silence to consider it, Ren nodded back and turned to watch the floors shoot by as their ascent commenced. It was quickly becoming apparent that in addition to its architecture, J0KER had also retained a good portion of its cryptic nature. It came with the territory, naturally, that lips would be tight as a matter of habit. Even before the J0KER suit had been dissolved, it had never been a very official program within Deck, often taking on fringe operations in ways that didn't care to be recorded.

"That _is _how we work, you know," the boy said suddenly, resuming the conversation as if nothing had happened.

"...Yutsui never was much good with her feelings, I suppose," Ren conceded. He winced. It was a harsh evaluation of his former friend and colleague, true as it may be. "Or rather... I suppose she never saw the use of articulating them," he quickly followed up.

The blind boy fixed him with empty irises and tilted his head. "I understand you, Mr. Tanaka," the child said, almost reprovingly. "But I was actually referring to the nature of J0KER, not Yutsui."

Ren frowned. He hadn't said anything about J0KER, although he had been thinking about— "So you would've been with Hearts," Ren identified, resting his back up against the wall as he put two and two together. Although J0KER did contain a number of misfits, some were technically classifiable in standard Deck terms. The Hearts Suit was associated by abilities relating to emotions and the psyche; namely mind reading. "You know it's illegal to read a fellow member, right?"

"You're not a member yet," the boy replied simply. Not maliciously, or defensively. He just said it like being a member meant the difference between humanity and animalism. "Besides, I'm kind of a... special case."

_And he's a court member, as well._ Ren felt the shadow of wariness tugging at his mind. Consciously, he stopped himself before he could go any further. If he wanted to analyze the situation safely, he'd have to do it away from the prying eyes of the Jack; Until he was inducted as a member again, at least.

"Does it really bother you that much?"

Ren forced a smile as a humorless chuckle slipped his lips. "Shouldn't it? I'm only human, you know."

"...I wonder sometimes."

"Oh? That's a bit quick to be deciding. We've only just met."

"No..." The boy shook his head again as he slipped his hands into his pockets and the elevator came to a stop. "I meant... about Deck in general."

Before Ren could process the remark, he was again walking down the stark, crimson carpet hallways of the MATH tower, following a blind boy to meet his fate.

By the time Ren had gathered himself again, they were standing in front of the doors to the Director's office. The portal, two onyx slabs carved with innumerable vectors criss-crossing to form an ornate "M", opened with hushed whispers as oiled hinges glided the assist mechanisms into place and parted just as they had so many years ago.

Ren and his escort passed the doors, entering a large oval room. The walls, both covered in interactive displays heavy laden with graphs, blueprints, and equations, swept toward a multipaned window that gave a panoramic view of the bayfront and surrounding city. At the far end stood the director's desk, currently obscured by a group of people who were presumably the other current members and inductees of J0KER. The Director himself, who sounded to be in the middle of saying a warm welcome, paused to cast a "Ah, there you are!" towards the front of the room, drawing the attention in that direction.

Ren slowed to a halt as the wall of eyes and unfamiliar faces came upon him and parted so Director Minamimoto could smile and wave in his direction. "Mr. Ren! Good to see you are well!"

"Master Tanaka!" A member of the the crowd rushed towards him and his blind guide stepped aside to give her berth. Thankfully, Ren recognized her voice before his instincts could demand he introduce her face to the carpet. She caught him in a quick embrace, throwing her arms around his back in a firm grip, then beamed up at him. "We were beginning to think you'd forgotten about us," she joked lightly.

Ren ruffled the girl's blonde hair, drawing her hands up to halt the action, before he stepped back and smiled at her. "Apologies, Ms. Reagan, my journey has drawn me long across the pacific circles. I trust Getotsu—"

"I'm here, Master," A man with a shoulder length mane of silver hair wearing a brown coat with the sleeves rolled up strode to join the reunion. He and Ren bowed to each other before clasping forearms. "You know I couldn't let Nel go alone; not with such a suspicious escort."

Someone from the crowd gave a wry "hmph" at that.

"Oh?" Ren raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "So they did a demonstration for you?"

Nel paused. Her grin vanished and her eyes dropped to the ground. "...Yeah. The...um... the house might need a little work."

"We tried to make arrangements before we left," Getotsu added quickly. "Some of the villagers agreed to clean things up—"

"—at a pretty big premium, of course," Nel sighed, pushing some hair back behind her ears. "But it was the best we could get on short notice."

"Any particular part of the house? Or just the structure in general?"

"Mostly just the front," Nel noted. "The backrooms where you kept things should be alright. We made sure to lock the cabinets before we left."

Ren pursed his lips and nodded. "I see," he answered plainly. There was really nothing else for it. If the room had been destroyed, then obviously it had been inevitable. He'd simply have to learn and live from the experience.

But if only he could've been there to see what went wrong...

"Wellll... not to interrupt or anything," yet another familiar voice drawled. Ren looked up to see the stoic, auburn haired woman who had haunted his memories for the past thirteen years. "But seeing as we're mostly here, minus Collin, I'd say getting this assembly over with before any more mushy reunions would be just dandy."

Ren felt his throat drying. "Yutsui..." he murmured. What to say to her? What would even be appropriate in front of her subordinates like this? He couldn't confront her emotionally. That would be out of turn. Confronting her in general would be tactless in this setting. She'd grown over the years, he could see it in her countenance. The secret smile that used to play in her eyes, the excitement to do what only she could do, had grown into a cold and somber calculation of exactly what was and nothing more. She didn't care to deal with nonsense, she was here to do her job.

Her posture was stiff, straighter than when they'd parted, but less organic; brittle and over wary. She was paranoid, but it gave her enough control that she could justify it to herself. She was the leader of J0KER, the guardian of the strays. Whatever path had brought her here, she'd had only her own counsel to follow. The years Ren could have been there to change that were long gone. Now they stood as two strangers, staring at each other across the rift of time wondering where the memories fit.

Taking a breath, Ren set his mouth and tried hard to look back into her measuring stare. "You've... changed."

There was a beat of silence and questioning eyes before the gears of the world caught again and things moved forward, as if nothing had happened.

"Like, Speakin' of Collin," a blonde ganguro girl who stood just below the height of Ren's shoulders leaned forward from the crowd. "Where is our super-techno-man tonight?"

"He's adjusting the CARD interface for me," Ren's blind guide replied. The boy's shoulders raised slightly, as if moving to make a shrug before deciding it wasn't worth it and settling for a twitch. "It might take a while, you should probably go on without him."

"Collin checks his notifications fairly regularly," Yuu conceded, his smile, which had disappeared in the brief moment of Ren and Yutsui's exchange, came back with quiet, but firm assertion. "He should be alright. Besides," the director loosely motioned to those currently congregated in his office. "It's mostly for the additions, who are unfamiliar with Deck."

"Yeah, about that..." a young man dressed in cargo pants and a black, zip-up hoodie tilted his head and raised his hand. "Is this when I finally get an explanation on what a 'Noise' is?"

Yuu nodded and clasped his hands in front of him while his elbows rested on the desk. "Yes, Mr. Parker, excellent question. The Noise are high-energy based creatures attempting to solidify their wavelength and physically manifest within our world. While it was first thought that Noise originated from nuclear abnormalities generated during the last war, it was eventually concluded that they are, in fact, descending from an alternate plane into ours. It was also concluded that they are hostile and will use lethal force without provocation. To face this threat, Deck was formed.

"See... Noise, as 'high-energy' beings, are unaffected by most corporeal attempts to dispose of them. In order to have any kind of effect on them, you need to use O-Energy."

"'O' like the blood type?" A peach haired girl chirped in. "Or like 'Oh! Hey! HSSA! Energy I can use to fight Noise!' kind of—Oof!"

Yutsui, who had just elbowed the peach haired girl in the diaphragm, kept her eyes on Yuu. "You've already been inducted," she said crisply. "Don't interrupt."

"...'O' as in 'oscillation'," Yuu went on, fighting down a grimace. He'd always been a gentle sort of man, it was a wonder he was in such a business as Noise elimination, if only peripherally. "O-Energy is accessed by use of the O-Gene, a genetically synthesized compound that allows humans to generate and utilize higher-plane energy. With that piece in our arsenal, we can then directly confront Noise. Usually O-Gene related abilities take years to mature to a properly usable state and can be very taxing on the wielder in the meantime. However, due to a few recent breakthroughs, we think we may have found a remedy for that, which should help a lot in your coming mission."

The statements were met with a mixed response. Some members stared blankly back at the director as if he'd been speaking an alien language, others gave small nods as if they actually understood what was going on. Nobody dared to break the silence, likely on the shared agreement that they didn't want to accidentally "interrupt" Yuu's next segment and awaken Yutsui's ire.

Well, lucky for them, there was one person who didn't share the thought.

"So where do we fit into the game these days?" Ren asked, trying to get things moving again. He'd already thrown his lot. If Yutsui was going to hate him, she'd be doing so already.

"An excellent question! You're what we call Deck Operatives, synonymous with the term 'suit members' in most Deck communities," Yuu elaborated, giving Ren a grateful smile. "Your most imminent concern though, and indeed the basis of your first mission, is the disappearance of an international Deck detachment stationed in Hokkaido to study Noise patterns in the area. Should you agree to join us, you'll be injected with an enhanced version of the O-Gene and deployed to quell Noise and other threats as needed."

"Other threats?" The man in the hoodie, Mr. Parker, seemed to have moved past the uncertainty of what counted as a viable question. "Like... what? Organized crime?"

"It... depends," Yuu answered haltingly, drawing his two index fingers to a point. "For now we'll just leave it at this: You're J0KER, our wild card. Should something ever happen outside the procedural framework, you are the method of choice for counteracting it. I'll be honest with you, we don't have a clear picture of what you're going up against, so we'll be doing our best to hedge the bets while we wait on the verdict. Through some prototypical genetic screening, we've determined that you are all the most viable candidates for this task. You still have the option to refuse, of course, but please get that out of the way before the O-Gene injections tomorrow. If you need more explanations, I'd suggest consulting your Computer Assistant Radio Device, or CARD. You'll each find it on your bed when you turn in for the night, so... don't jump under the covers without checking first.

"In the meantime, I'd like for you to all get to know eachother over dinner. The J0KER floor, number fourteen in ordinal placement, will act as your home for now. Meals are taken communally. I've already taken the liberty of assigning Ayane and Collin as your chefs for the evening, but in the future, Miss Koizumi will preside over the process."

"Collin's busy," Ren's guide corrected the director, repeating his earlier statements about the missing member. "He'll be occupied for the foreseeable future."

"Really?" A dark haired young woman to Yutsui's left who sported a number of ribbons on various pieces of her apparel frowned absently. "Collin shouldn't have that much trouble. He didn't become our tech officer by faking his way there."

"I gave him some difficult parameters," the blind blond replied simply. "He may have the skill, but he's probably still scratching his head on how to best go about it."

"Great, then you can help Ayane with dinner," Yutsui cut in decisively, the shadow of a humorless smile passing her face before she shifted her gaze back to Yuu and raised her eyebrows. "You were saying, Mr. director sir?"

"Just that introductions should be in order before we truly begin. Yutsui?"

The lithe auburnette sighed and adjusted her glasses. "Yutsui Koizumi, current King of J0KER," she drawled, her voice taking on a slight annoyed edge. "Next?"

"Ayane Tajima, Queen," the ribboned young woman next to Yutsui volunteered, clasping her hands in front of her and doing a small bow. "An honor to serve with you."

"...Ayumu, I'm the Jack," Ren's Guide put in after a hesitant beat. There was another awkward pause, as if in anticipation of another passing line, before the next member in line picked it up.

"Rueban, eighth,"a boy of similar height and appearance to Ayumu sighed, turning his head to the side so his blond curls obscured his face. If Ren were as green as the other recruits, he might've thought the gesture odd, but his former Deck years shed a glimmer of insight on the matter. In Deck, ranks were assigned on the basis of both prowess and conduct. Eight was still a fairly high rank, but having two empty slots between him and his near twin didn't put him in a particularly flattering light.

The next member was decidedly more enthused about his position. "Pokoni! Numba' Seven!" a blazing readheaded boy announced as he grinned and stuck a thumb to his chest. "Demolitions and pyrotentnics extraordinaire!"

"CYI, Pokoni; it's 'pyrotechnics'," The peach haired girl who'd gotten an elbow to the stomach earlier, brushed back one of the stray locks crossing her forehead and pursed her lips.

**Arisa Yumekawa – Five of J0KER**

"Hey, all. Call me Arisa. Or 'Alice' if you're feeling foreign. WFYB." She held up an open hand and pointed to it. "Five in the line up."

"Question," Getotsu, who looked thoroughly bewildered (as did most of the room), cut in before the next in line could start. "What, pray tell, does 'Wuh-fibe' stand for?"

"'Whatever Floats Your Boat'," Arisa replied, a hint of indignance seeping into her tone. "WDYA?"

"She's addicted to making stupid acronyms out of things you might as well just say un-abbreviated," Yutsui explained, waving her hand in a "move-along" motion. Thankfully, the recruits were smart enough not to question any further; getting Yutsui more ticked off than she already was could lead to some frightening results. "You'll get used to it, alright? Now can we please just get through this?"

"Like, super yes!" the ganguro girl who had mentioned the missing member pumped a hand in the air and did an excited hop in place.

**Kyasako – Three of J0KER**

"Call me Kya! Magic number three as of today! I'm, like—"

"—Great, that's everyone," Yutsui interrupted her subordinate without preamble and stopped playing with her auburn curls. "Now you all technically know eachother. Newbies can introduce themselves during orientation. In the meantime, I don't know about the rest of you, but I've had a long day without lunch or breakfast; I declare dinner. Objections from anyone who matters?"

Kya, still looking dazed at the sudden derailing of her introduction, frowned and stared hard at the ground. "Like, do I matter?"

"Not in this scenario," The King informed her flatly. "Next? Nobody? Good. Then let's go."

Taking the lead, Yutsui marched out of the room with a determined stride, straight past a staring Ren without making eye contact. The current Suit members nodded and quickly fell in line. The recruits, after exchanging a round of assorted looks and shrugs, weren't long to follow. In a few moments, it was only Ren and Yuu left in the room, both staring after the King's exodus.

"...Was it like this when I left?"

Yuu paused a moment to consider the question before sighing. "No... it was a gradual transformation. It's more apparent around you, you haven't changed at all."

"And you put her as their King?"

"Look... I know she's rough, she's always been like that," Ren turned to see Yuu smile tiredly as he cupped a mug of coffee in his hands. "But she really is the most qualified for the position. Maybe you don't see it right now, but she does care for the unit. She's just... Well, she takes a lot on her own. You must realize, she looked up to you when you were King. When you left, she was more determined than ever to stay and fight the Noise, but her faith in her fellow members was shattered. I'm not sure if she even confides in Ayane."

Ren nodded and thought back to the dark haired ribbon girl. "The Queen. I take it she's the manners of the court?"

"J0KER was never much for the subject in honest company," Yuu reminded, raising the coffee mug slightly towards Ren. "But, yes, she's more or less the diplomat of the three. Ayumu, the Jack, takes more after Yutsui. She _did_ practically raise him."

"Really?" Ren frowned. "I... never thought she'd have time for children."

"It fit nicely into the schedule," Yuu told him. "See... during you're last mission..."

Ren heard his muscles tightening minutely. Even after all these years, the event still felt sore.

"Suffice to say, the victims of the attack left children who we would adopt into our fold. Ayumu and his brother were part of the recruitment program with the Blanks. They both entered the moment they were eligible. When she saw what they could do, Yutsui took them on as her protoges, probably to replace you. Despite similar amounts of raw talent though, Ayumu had more focus for it than Rueban. So he worked his way up to becoming the Jack, and Rueban forgot his abilities in favor of joining the technical department here in MATH corp."

"Until now."

"Yes," Yuu bobbed his head and took a sip of his coffee. "Until now."

"...Is it hard? To be put so far apart in rank, I mean?"

"It's hard to say. Rueban does have his pride at times, but I don't think he lets it get between him and his brother. If you ask me, it's something more personal that's bothering him. You see, there was this girl..."

Ren felt the flicker of a wry smile form across his face. "He wanted to impress her?"

Yuu shrugged. "Perhaps. A young man his age usually _would_ think that way. But there are bigger things at play here. You see, this particular girl was part of the group that disappeared a week ago in Hokkaido. It was right after Rue restablished contact with her, too."

Ren's face went blank again with the realization. "He wants to save her."

"Yes, but isn't sure if he can."

"...I see."

"You can relate?"

"..."

"Give her time Ren, give her time."

Ren pressed his lips together and nodded, before turning to follow the group to dinner. Indeed, at this point time was perhaps the only thing he could give her that she would accept. He could only hope that it would be enough.

**-J-**

The dining room was large, though sparsely furnished. Two translucent oval tables surrounded by stools, eight a-piece, flanked the walkway between the entry to the kitchen and the door to the living room. The walls were pretty bare. Two framed pictures of flowers in vases, as if to accent the absence of such on the tables, and an antique cork bulletin board on the wall leading to the living room.

There was a cabinet under the board pressed up against the wall. The inducted members swung by it to retrieve plates and flatware. Leo and the other new entries followed the example before seating themselves at one of the two tables. The freerunner found himself grouped with the blonde in oldstyle camoflauge-print pants who'd hugged the latecomer and the Five, Seven, and Three from the assembly.

Dinner was to be eggrolls, steamed buns, and onigiri, served with a vegetable soup, presented on each table like a family meal. Apparently Ayane, the ribbons girl who'd stood by the King, had a thing for traditional Asian cuisine. Not that Leo was complaining, it was the best meal he'd had in a long time, and a warm one on top of that. Sticky, sweet bits of onigiri hung at his mouth corners as he dunked buns in his soup broth and dug into the filled bread. The buns were stuffed with herbs and either chopped pork or chicken with a little bit of onion underneath. Simple, but more than delicious enough for seconds to be in order.

"You eat as a man starved." Ayane noted, offering a light smile as she joined their table. "That's a nice change of pace."

Leo paused with a mouthful of bun dripping broth out of his mouth and raised his eyebrows before swallowing and grinning back. "What? It's good!"

"That's 'cuz you haven't been eating it every Tuesday for six months," Seven grumbled, half-heartedly poking at his bowl with his chopsticks. "Can't you ever just make straight-up ramen? I mean, the Diamonds get ramen all the time!"

"Heeey! Cut it out, Poko-kun!" The Three whined beside him. "Aya-chan tries really hard!" The ganguro girl then turned towards the Queen and offered a big grin. "I still like it, Aya-chan!"

"Yes, but you like everything," Ayane pointed out, giving a small, wry smile in return as she picked a dumpling from the basket in the middle of the table. "You don't even complain when it's Pokoni's turn to cook."

Seven made a face and planted his hands on the table. "What's that supposed to mean? It's not _my_ fault none'v'ya can take my flamboyage!"

"Flambe," Five pitched in after swallowing. She brushed her straight, peach hair away from her face and fished another spoonfull of broiled broccoli from the broth. "But it's more like haywire barbeque when you do it. The meat always ends up charred."

"It's not charred!" Seven declared indignantly. "It's... It's...!"

"It's what?" Five asked, raising an eyebrow as she flashed a cheeky smirk.

"It's... carbon enhanced!"

The table went quiet just in time to make way for Leo's singular amused "Heh" to slip right into the open. He blinked as a wall of eyes, suddenly aware of his presence again, came to study the outsider of the occasion. He tried to shift a glance to the other newcomer, to see if he could draw some sort of solidarity from her, but the blonde girl didn't make eye contact and studiously continued to enjoy her meal in unobtrusive silence.

"You laugh now, hoodie boy," Five said slowly, speaking with measured conviction. "But MMW, you _don't_ want to be on base for steak night."

"Thanks for the tip," Leo returned with a grin, trying not to sound the least bit sarcastic. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Oh, and if you ever do a team simulation with Blazerat," the young woman went on. "FTLOHD, don't even _think_ about stealing his kill."

Leo fought to keep his smile from dissolving into an irreverent chuckle. "'Foot load'?" He asked, hoping the Five was still in the mood for explanations.

"Oh! You know: 'For the love of happy donuts'?" Three supplied, smiling at Leo. "She does that, you know? Like—"

"—Makes up words to mean other words, he knows," Seven—Pokoni, was it?— sulked, propping his hands against his round cheeks while his bony elbows rested on the table. "He was at the assembly, remember?"

"Oh! Like... super-duh!" she laughed and tapped her chopsticks against her head before turning back to Leo. "I'm Kyasako, by the way. But like, call me Kya!"

"Nice to meet you," Leo replied, reaching across the table to shake hands and choosing to ignore the fact that the assembly had also seen her introduction. "My name's Leo Parker. Any combination or nickname will do, so long as you're not out to kill me."

"Meh..." Pokoni slipped a bored shrug and a grimace. "You haven't given me a good reason so _far_. But I'll keep my eyes on you, Parky. Ain't nobody takes my town while I'm watchin'."

Leo paused, arm still stretched outward. "...Parky?" Well... yeah, he had just said _any_ nickname. He'd just been expecting something that didn't sound like a pet name.

"Enough, Pokoni," the Queen said quietly, looking up from her soup to give her subordinate a reproving frown. "Ridiculous nicknames demean you both."

The redheaded boy's eyes sparked, but he obeyed, albeit not without muttering a continued commentary. Leo retracted his arm and nodded his thanks.

Dinner after that was mostly spent in in the relative silence of slurping broth and quiet chewing. Occasionally, Pokoni and Kya would check their CARDS, but they'd quickly go back to eating the moment the Queen shifted them a look.

The blonde recruit girl finished first, excusing herself with a bow and a soft "thank you" to the Queen for the meal before bringing her dishes to the kitchen. Pokoni and Five gave their bowls to Kya, who was apparently on clean up duty, and went off to "study" (an explanation the latter gave and the former copied). After collecting the remaining dishes, Kya was then gone as well; leaving Leo alone with the Queen, who seemed content to watch her fellow members with hands clasped in front of her.

Leo had to admit, the girl was more composed than most of her fellow members, not excluding the King. He hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to the Jack, but there was something off about the kid; the way he mumbled and stared off into space was just kind of... weird. Leo turned in his chair to look at the other table where the court member was currently sitting—er, slumping—in his seat and lethargically taking in his meal. His look-alike, the Eight—or was it Nine?—sat up straight beside him, though finished with his own portion. Or maybe it was the other kid slumping... Leo shrugged. _Well, maybe the ranking system isn't as intuitive as I'd expect,_ he thought idly. _Or maybe the kid has some wicked-sweet powers to back him up_.

"You know..."

Leo straightened and brought his focus back to the Queen, who was now looking at him with curious, though not invasive, brown eyes.

"...You're a lot quieter than I'd thought you'd be."

"Oh... really?" Leo laughed and scratched at the back of his head. "I didn't know what to expect of you, myself," he returned, taking the old fallback of making a copycat reply while he caught his footing in the conversation.

"You didn't have a file to study."

"...I meant... 'you' like... Deck, or whatever you're called," he haltingly backpedaled. Man, it really would've helped if he'd seen this coming.

"J0KER, Deck, Caves, Caverns," the Queen said, tilting her head either way on each new listing. "Pieces and wholes, Mr. Parker. Many kinds of people join Deck, only the real anomalies make it to J0KER."

"'Leo's just fine," the freerunner offered. "Last names were always a little stiff for me."

"Namely in that it's usually been your enemies addressing you by it, right?"

"Eh..." Leo tried to wave it off. "I just... don't like the way it fits."

"You'd rather be the beast than the landmark..." she pressed her lips together and nodded. "Interesting."

"What?" He blinked. Apparently his mouth had been moving faster than his mind.

"Leo. You know, like 'lion'?" The dark haired girl tilted her head to the side and her liquid brown eyes seemed to shift a shade. "Sorry, I'm... assuming things, aren't I?"

"Sort of," Leo gave an embarrassed chuckle. "You're definitely seeing more to it than what I meant."

"Perhaps."

He stopped. "...Again: What?"

"Perhaps you did mean it," she reiterated calmly, speaking softly as if she we're teaching a child. "Perhaps you do prefer to be the active element rather than the serene shelter. Even the predator needs to take the time to stalk their prey though. Sometimes we'll give the truth about ourselves away before we realize it. People can be like that, Leo: a transparent mirror. We see opaque where others see through us."

Leo paused a second more to try to sort out what she'd just said, before he shrugged and smiled. "Maybe. But I'm an anomaly, right? So normal rules don't quite apply, maybe?"

"...True enough," she smiled back. A soft smile, but a genuine one nonetheless. "You've certainly caught the eyes of the Director and the Court."

"Oh?"

"You'll find out tomorrow," she assured him, a playful glint coming to her eyes as her smile broadened. "But then... perhaps it's something you suspected all along. After all..."

"...'People are like that'?" Leo finished hopefully, giving her his best innocent look.

The girl nodded and gave him a golf clap in affirmation. "And so it is proven: 'he can be taught'! It makes me wonder... what will your O-Ability be?"

The freerunner leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "Beats me. Heck, I barely know what this whole 'O' deal is all about."

"But you're not backing down?"

"'f course not!" He let out a laugh. "You know how I got as far as I did before this?"

"By ticking a lot of people off, if your file had any accuracy."

"Wha—? No! No, that's how I got _here_. Before that, I ran on luck, skill, and a whole lot of confidence." Leo counted out the qualities on his fingers before holding them out for his companion to see. "Unless you trust yourself to carry through the move, there's no way you get enough momentum to make even half the stunts I've done. You've got to step sure and step hard. If you let even the shadow of a doubt hold you back, you'll find yourself faceplanting, which gets more and more painful the higher up you get.

"Or... So I'd figure," he finished, rubbing the back of his head. "No actual personal experience on the 'faceplanting-from-more-than-five-feet' thing."

"Hmm... I figured," the girl said humoringly, studying him with her left hand on her elbow and the other on her chin. "Anything more than that would've done a real number on your looks."

Leo put a hand to his face and felt the relatively unblemished skin. "I guess so. Though, I gotta admit, that wasn't what was on my mind at the time."

"Hmm," the Queen murmured again, flattening her lips into a long, thin line.

"...'Hmm' what?"

"You seemed quite at home with life before us. Most people who find their way into Deck are looking for purpose, for freedom, for a something that puts them further than where they'd be without it," She said, her voice moving to a measured cadence. "If you already had that. Why bond yourself to us?"

"Well, the landshark-thing might've had something to do with it..."

"You feel you owe us?"

"More like 'I feel I'm safer when I can actually do something against weird monsters that melt out of the pavement', actually," Leo answered, flicking his index finger back and forth as he tried to illustrate the point. "I can run from the Skuller gang. But these? These... Sound things?"

"Noise?"

"Yeah, those," he nodded. "They're somethin' else altogether!"

"So you joined a group you know next to nothing about in the hopes that it could keep you safe..."

"...Why? Was that a bad decision?"

"Oh, come now, Leo," her face lightened slightly as she lowered her right hand so that her arms crossed. "You can't hesitate now. You want to step sure and step hard, right?"

"Uh... Right!" Leo gave a delayed affirmation as it slowly hit him just how bad of a decision this could have been.

"Good," she smiled and nodded back. "It'd be a shame to fold before the game even begins."

*****Author's Note*****

_As this goes on, and I can't constantly refer to the original authors for guidance, I can see this all becoming very... bad. I mean, fan fiction often is little more than a loose interpretation at best of the original work, but it feels different when you know the people whose work you're messing up, you know? Again, just try to treat this as you would 'Another Day'._

_Speaking of other authors though, the Shibuya Operation Story storm is still going strong and new chapters are due for publishing next week! I'm not sure how long I can keep up with this pace, but I'ma try! While you're waiting though, why not go give the other entries a look over? I'm sure they'll appreciate it!_

*****Secret Report: Leo Parker*****

_Leo is the main protagonist of X Days, a future TWEWY sequel crafted by Hyoxjnn, a great and powerful wizard from the land of Oz. While he only faced off against the White Skullers for one chapter in the original before *_**SPOILERS*, **_he still found himself in a roughly similar situation as seen here. Except... with better written action sequences._

_One of Leo's defining traits is his optimism and earnest, tenacious character. He is adventurous, but not proud, and is ever willing to team up to overcome a trial. But even if working well in groups is his strong suit, that's not to say he's useless on his own. Leo has the skill, strength, and determination to get out of just about every sticky situation he's been faced with so far. He can only hope that continues to be the case._

_As a character, I struggle to write this guy because he'd rather laugh at a threat than consider it and marvel at a curiosity like the Noise rather than try to think of how to beat them. It's like he has a child-like innocence to him that just... I don't know, it's something I'm not used to writing in a main character. Still, the practice is much needed, and I would like to thank Hyoxjnn for the chance to expand my horizons._

_Till next time!_

_-CG_

**}The Inside Joke{**

**\\Pokoni is hereby excused from orientation assistance on account of ineligibility for open positions.**(HotSpringKoi)

-YESSS! Tomorrow's gonna be so much more awesome now!(2little2late)

-Congrats, Poko-kun!;D(Kyaaa)

**\\Just finished updates on Ayumu's CARD. Anyone else want the spiffed up voice feature pack before I go to bed? **(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Omigoshlishness! Does it, like, sing to you? I wanna lullaby to give me sweet dreams!(Kyaaa)

-...No. It's a patch for the interface that boosts voice recognition, broadens the selection of interface tones, and adds an audio translator to all features, including the forum.(}+REvanentCG+{)

-But, like, if I told it the words then it could sing back to me, right?(Kyaaa)

-Kya, a pre-war phone could do that. This is all fine-tuning personalization.(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Can you use it to impersonate other members?(2little2late)

-No! Why are you bent on misusing my labor?!(}+REvanentCG+{)

-SYB, Collin. No point in yelling at philistines. I'll take your update if it has acronym support.(ari3)

-=_='' I give up...(}+REvanentCG+{)

**\\Question: what counts as relevant enough to post on this forum? I don't want to rock the boat...**(GhettoSoup)

- Pretty much anything, really.(-Sentence-)

-"Anything PG and below, unless lives depend on it or something" were the exact words of our fearless leader, if I recall right. (RueTheDay)

-Ah, yes, good point. We don't want to repeat the fiasco of the original Deck forum, now do we? (-Sentence-)

-And I hadn't even joined yet...\_/*(2little2late)

-Pokoni is hereby resentenced to orientation. Position: energy battery. (HotSpringKoi)

-WHAT!? NOOOOOOO! I HATE YOU!RUEBAN STARTED IT, CHOOSE HIM!(2little2late)

-Relax kid, I'll make sure nothing happens to you.(HotSpringKoi)

-You'd really do that for him? 0_0' (ari3)

- ... nothing permanent anyway. (HotSpringKoi)

**\\Anyone know who has kitchen duty for breakfast? idk if I want to wake up for it or not.** (ari3)

-Collin and the new girl. He'll probably make pancakes again unless she can persuade him otherwise.(RueTheDay)

-Pancakes stuffed with bacon?(2little2late)

-Ugh! I hope not... wtrts. If it is then I'm DEFINITELY sleeping in. (ari3)

-Ooh... "Worse than Rotten Tomato Soup"... Ari-san's worst rating... (Kyaaa)

**\\I've been reading through the archives on O-Gene cases and the question struck: Is there any way to forecast the possible abilities of a new member?**(GhettoSoup)

-We're working on it. A shortage of subjects to study has sort of halted progress on that though. (RueTheDay)

-So are you using the newbies as test subjects then?(ari3)

-No comment. You can ask Collin when he gets up in the morning.(RueTheDay)

-On behalf of all the newbies, I raise a skeptical eyebrow at you.(ari3)

-Thanks, Ari! They probably super appreciate that!(Kyaaa)

-She didn't mean you...(2little2late)

**#WildcardShuffle – Current Song – Titans(Brave Saint Saturn)**


	3. Game III: Pyramid

**Deck:J0KER**

By Chronic Guardian

**Game III: Pyramid**

_Rules: A standard deck is arranged in pyramid fashion with the "base" cards overlaying the next layer, and so forth. Cards are removed in pairs with a sum equal to thirteen (I.e: seven and six, queen and ace, three and ten) with jack, queen, and king equaling eleven, twelve, and thirteen respectively. Kings are thus removable without a mate. Players can only use "uncovered" cards that have no other cards overlaying them to play, with the object of the game being to dissolve the pyramid and remove all the cards. Like many forms of solitaire, it has a variable-to-low success rate._

_-J0KER, October 2104, Direct Retrievable Audio Wave #118: Conversation between members Eight and Jack as follows:_

"You're here early."

"I'm not done searching. She had to have left something. She couldn't have just disappeared without seeing it coming, she was smarter than that."

"You're letting your infatuation cloud your judgment, Noise can come out of nowhere."

"It's _not_ infatuation and she _still_ would have left something."

"No... I suppose there's no convincing you otherwise."

"..."

"So what do you think your CARD can say about it?"

"...Collin helped me get access to the last DRAWs the lab's posted division logged..."

"She didn't say anything, did she?"

*Sigh* "No. The system picked up a lot of chatter between someone listed as Mean and... just about everybody but _her_."

"Mean... huh..."

"Not the temperament, the—"

"I know. Math. It always was their leader's thing."

"Yes... Too bad he also applied it to the system. The naming algorithm is completely useless when it's encrypted like this. Collin's still digging up links to the original titles translator."

"So you can trace social relations?"

"Right. I've already run a word recognition search, they didn't use any of her listed code names. However, there may still be a chance that Minamimoto Double-Junior put her in under a new alias."

"She lends herself to that, doesn't she?"

"It's funny that you're asking questions you already know the answer to _now_ of all times."

"We're about to head into what could be the most dangerous situation we've ever faced, Rue. Shouldn't I get all the stupid questions out of the way now?"

"...It's not like you."

"Hmm... Can't argue with that one."

"Look... I've got enough to worry about without you mixing things up on me, Ayumu. Just... stay out of trouble and help Yutsui?"

"...If that's what makes you happy."

-Close (DRAW#118)-

**-J-**

Izo squinted and tried to bury his face in his silky pillow as sunlight streamed into his room. How it managed to without a window to enter through, he hadn't a clue; but his mind was only moving fast enough to register that he wanted to go back to sleep.

It wasn't that he hadn't slept well. Maybe it was just that Rei wasn't snoring, but he'd actually made it through the night without interruption and felt perfectly well rested. He just... didn't feel like getting up just yet.

A twinkle of crisp digital notes interrupted his attempts. He cringed and threw the pillow over his head as a voice followed up the fanfare.

"Izo Shuito?"

The blue haired boy gave an angry grunt in return.

"Not much for mornings, huh?" the voice, a young man's tenor, took on an amused tinge. "Sorry, but our King runs a pretty tight ship. Orientation's in half an hour, directions have been sent to your CARD. You can have breakfast after the injection, you'll process it best if you take it on an empty stomach. I'd hurry if I were you. Yutsui doesn't look to make examples of her subordinates, but that doesn't mean she won't punish you; promptly and publicly."

"Why explicate such to me?" Izo grumbled, propping himself up to give a glare down at the intruder.

"I'm a team player." the voice stated, coming out of thin air. Izo looked up to the corner to see a small intercom box nestled against the ceiling. "We'll have time to talk about it later, trust me. In the meantime, I'd say get dressed and get steppin'. It's an awful shame to be late on the first day."

Izo gave another grunt, but gathered himself to a sitting position before sliding off his loft bunk. The room he'd been given had a single bed above a desk and set of drawers on one side and a half-height dresser and bookshelf on the other with a mirror hung above the dresser. The remaining wall, opposite the door, housed a screen that had been dark when Izo had entered to go to bed. Now it was simulating a window looking over a country sunrise. Izo scowled and brushed his hair back with his fingers. Almost immediately, the blue bangs settled back into place, obscuring vision in his left eye. Someone with a cheeky sense of humor had probably set the display to brighten in the mornings by default, he'd have to see about getting it changed immediately.

Drawing the drapes on the ersatz window, Izo turned back to the task at hand: getting dressed for the day. There was still enough muted light filtering through that he could see the travel case he'd brought with him. Kneeling down, he unlocked the container and retrieved a spare set of clothes; a black, short sleeve tee, dark blue jeans tailored thin, and a button up overshirt colored with tones that weren't quite distinguishable in this light. Izo shucked off his sleeping clothes and hurriedly threw on the fresh set. Taking just enough time to confirm he looked okay to his standards, the blue haired teen nodded purposefully to his reflection and retrieved his CARD before heading out the door.

Stopping just outside the door, Izo examined the device that held the directions to his destiny. All the talk of the O-Gene up to this point made it difficult not to view it in a skeptical light. However, if only by his inability to refuse the strange girl who had taken him here yesterday, he would soon have to accept it as a part of his life. Knowing his luck, he'd probably get stuck with something everyone but him wanted.

"Heeeey! New guy!"

Izo shot a glare in the direction of the shout. The pint-sized redhead who'd accompanied the girl yesterday was bounding in his direction and waving like an idiot.

"You lost or sumthin'?" the boy demanded, grabbing Izo's wrist as his passed and continuing his awkward rush down the hall. "We gotta hurry, or we'll both be late!"

"Feh!" Izo spat. "And why should my repute be of curiosity to you, brat?"

"'B-rat'?" The redhead asked, giving a confused look over his shoulder. "You tryin' to imitate Ari?"

The older boy simply snarled and gave an ineffective tug in a failed attempt to free himself from the tyke's vice.

"Look, if you're gonna shorten my codename, you gotta at least wait until we're on a codename basis," the younger boy went on as he dragged Izo into a lift and punched a button. "I don't care what rank you get, _I'm _still the sempai, got it?"

"As if I'd stoop to such standing," Izo snorted. This kid had delusions of grandeur.

"Hey." _Snap_.

Izo flinched. Not at the sudden drop in the maniacal preteen's tone, but at the sudden flash of light and rush of force that pushed him against the elevator walls and caused the room to rock slightly.

"Don' take me too unseriously," the redhead warned, positioning his fingers for another snap. "I said it at the ressembly, but I guess I can say it again cuz _somebody_ wasn't payin' attention: I'm number seven around here, right under Rue. When I say stuff, I mean it. Got it, Bluebell?"

"...Am I to assume that's my new codename?"

"Yeah!" The Seven gave an approving grin before shifting into a suspicious frown and holding his fingers out again. "Why? Ya got a problem wid'dat?"

Izo adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. "Indubitably."

"I'll take that as a 'no, sir'!" The younger boy supplied as the doors opened and he snagged Izo's wrist once again to tow the poet along. "Smart attitude to have, Bluebell. Now let's get you orientated!"

Ignoring Izo's protests, the self-inflating Seven marched purposefully down the hall until he reached a rather secure looking set of doors and boldly declared his credentials. Apparently voice activated, the doors clicked, hissed, and parted to allow the boy to drag his captive into the following room.

"Welcome to orientation," the woman who had quite nearly hijacked the assembly, Koizumi, gave a lazy wave of greeting. She had her hair up in a bun instead of loose today and was wearing a pristine white lab coat over her clothes. Izo could almost swear this was the first use it was seeing, but something about the woman told him she could probably replicate the condition if she tried. The other new members, the blonde with a braid, the silver haired, sunken eyed man in a brown coat, and the lithe, dark haired hoodie guy, had all arrived already.

Koizumi herself was fixated on her CARD and continued on while her second in command, the girl with the ribbon fetish, stood by at attention. "We've got a team to track, so get in line and keep your mouth sealed," the leader ordered. Her voice, neither smooth nor abrasive, had a commanding, if lacksidasical, nature to it. "Now, the main event," she lifted a hypodermic needle full of slightly luminescent, red liquid from a nearby tray of identically filled copies. "We've got to get you up to speed with your O-Abilites. Also, in order to avoid all the hash-hash of a shuffle, you'll be assigned ranks _now_ based on my appraisal of your attitude and potential usefulness."

"That..." Hoodie Guy began loudly. His volume dropped noticeably as the room turned to him and he realized he'd said that out loud. "...sounds a little harsh."

"Great, you can lobby to have it overruled once we're not busy," Koizumi said frankly. "Now, if you'd stop interrupting, darling, we can get you oriented and off to breakfast. Considering we're leaving base at ten, I might even declare breakfast optional if you make this take long enough. All right, mon ami?"

Hoodie Guy grimaced in embarrassment and nodded his understanding.

_And people wonder why _I _never want to offer my opinion unnecessarily..._ Izo thought dryly. _Give them an opportunity and they'll assert your faults without fail. 'Better to be thought a fool than open one's mouth and remove all doubt' indeed..._

"Good," Koizumi flashed a smile that was probably all show and went back to staring at her CARD while her other hand idly pressed against the plunger on the needle she was holding, sending tiny red globules down the nose to glisten in the florescent light. "First up: Izo Shuito – Four of J0KER."

Izo frowned, mostly at the circumstance of being picked first.

"Aw, dang!" Pokoni hoarsely whispered beside him. "Only a Four? Talk about a slap to the face."

...And then there was that too. _Although... there are advantages to a low rank, _Izo contemplated as the auburnette with a needle closed in on him, brandishing her instrument like a single shot assassin's handgun. The Queen wasn't far behind. _Such as lower expectations and easier duties, right? I suppose I should consider myself lucky I didn't get selected for... what are the open positions again? _He thought back to the gaps during the assembly yesterday. _One, Four, Six, Nine, and Ten. Assuming the card jargon holds true, 'One' will likely be an 'Ace'. But that's five positions, and there are four of us._

_No... five of us. Yesterday's latecomer also seems to cou—_

"Ouch!" Izo yelped as the needle punctured his skin, just below his elbow joint and Koizumi ran the plunger home, expelling the red substance into his veins. He was about to open his mouth and give her a piece of his mind on the matter, when he found himself looking at the floor with his stomach on fire. The feeling, a slow and torturous grip that caused his muscles to scream like a full on cramp, enveloped his core and began creeping outward to his limbs.

Through the haze, he registered the King saying something or other, probably a joke at how easily he'd been felled. Was this the end? Had they only brought him here to kill him for their amusement? Izo worked his mouth, trying to dislodge the frothy spit that was attempting to block his airways. He willed his spindly limbs to work, to lift him from the ground and get him out of there somehow. He gritted his teeth as saliva squeezed between enamel. _I don't want to die..._

And then the pain went mute, as if it'd all been topped by a giant pillow and could no longer breath enough to scream. His vision came into focus and he realized he was coming up off the ground, supported by someone who'd slung his arm over their slender back.

"Ice," The Queen's voice announced beside him. Izo winced at the sensation, booming in his suddenly tender ears, but stayed on his feet. "Perhaps a Hearts-Spades mix. ...Paralytic? He'll have to develop his powers to see, but he's got the potential."

"Wha... wha're you gabbering abou?" Izo slurred, still getting over the ungraceful spit reservoir that the injection had induced.

"Your powers, kid," Koizumi informed him, not bothering to return his hateful glare. "Congrats, sounds like you might've drawn lucky. Don't let it go to your head, though. Unless you develop it, it'll do you less good than a cocktail umbrella in a tsunami.

"Now then, as I was saying; Ayane, darling?" This time the King did look up to shift a commanding glance at the addressee. "How are you feeling?"

The dark haired young woman unslung Izo's support from her shoulders, leaving him to stand on his own two feet again, and nodded. "I could take another one."

"Wonderful," Koizumi replied, pushing her gold rimmed glasses a little further up her nose before grabbing another syringe. She then stepped forward again and announced her next victim. "Getotsu Tezano – Six of J0KER."

Izo was led to the wall by the redheaded brat who'd accompanied him there as the next injection took place. Disappointingly, the silver haired Six seemed to take it better, his knees only buckling slightly after the iridescent red syrup filled his body. Again, Queen Ayane was there to give him what little support he needed until he could walk it off.

"Powers?" Koizumi asked, slightly inclining her chin towards her latest subject.

"Gravity based," Ayane replied quickly as the sunken eyed man stabilized. She wet her lips and took a deep breath before finishing. "Seems... Clubs oriented."

"Material?"

"Organic."

The King paused, her passive frown deepening a little as she moved her eyes off her CARD to examine the latest development. "...Interesting," she pronounced after a prolonged moment of holding the room still in her gaze. "Ayane, darling?"

"One more," the young woman replied, detaching from Getotsu and returning to the King. "I can do one more."

Perhaps Izo was imagining it, but he thought he saw her forehead glistening a little. _From what?_ He scowled as the conundrum played in his head. Really, what was she doing? Getotsu wasn't leaning on her that hard. Had she over exerted herself while peeling Izo himself off the floor?

Apparently oblivious, the King nodded back to her subordinate and went on. "Nelliel Reagan – Nine of J0KER."

It was the blonde girl with a braid this time. She actually stepped forward to receive the treatment, rather than waiting for the King to come to her. Izo's jaw twitched. Such a high rank and such a foolhardy move... Perhaps they valued suicidal instinct here? Or maybe they'd just over estimated when they'd been stacking the ranks. It _did_ seem like an awful fragile system to be playing with...

Following that, Izo couldn't help but nod in dark satisfaction when the girl arched rigid and fell backward as her injection processed. Ayane caught her, of course, but the violent reaction seemed to justify Izo's own experience in an odd way. He stopped himself from thinking about it before he could foil his instincts with logic.

"Powers?" Koizumi again requested.

"Accelerator. Might produce a static charge if she... if she does it right," Ayane reported faithfully, now visibly laboring to keep her breath. Anyone would've thought the girl had just run a mile by her current condition. "Careful, though, it's... it's high ener—ungh!"

The Ribboned girl slipped to one knee as Reagan slowly gathered herself to a crouch. Both girls reeled, threatening to tumble back to the floor.

"Pokoni," Koizumi ordered calmly.

Beside Izo, the bravado filled brat heaved a groan and stumped over to the Queen. She took his hand when he offered it and closed her eyes for a moment, seemingly composing herself. She then nodded, taking a deep breath and helping Reagan to her feet as if nothing happened..

His task finished, Pokoni grimaced and stumbled back towards Izo, his usual energy having vanished into thin air.

_No,_ Izo blinked as he flicked his eyes back to the Queen. _Not thin air. She's a battery! She's been restoring the recruits with her own energy to lessen the effects of the serum. The brat must've been her supply boost for the last go._

Indeed, the last inductee present, Hoodie Guy, seemed slated for the Ten slot. Yesterday's latecomer had acted familiar with the Director, so the odds were good that he'd be instated as the Ace. Izo snorted and gingerly ran his hand over the spot he'd been stuck. _What a surprise_. It was typical that a group like this would keep the newbies as rabble while they could.

"Last one," Koizumi stated, brushing her hair back and leveling her final needle to point at the remaining member of the room. Her lips quirked in a small, lopsided smile. "Leo Parker – Ace of J0KER."

Izo paused in rubbing his injection wound before his eyes darted over to the heir-unapparent, who stared dumbly straight back, mouth agape. From the looks of things, he hadn't seen this coming either.

"Yes, you're in the court," The King confirmed dryly. She uncapped her syringe and took his arm. "Get used to it, kid. I can't have you gawking when something serious comes up."

Leo had just enough time to belatedly nod before he gasped and doubled over as the O-Gene entered his system. Ayane took his arm and began pulling him up again. Halfway through the motion, she grunted and collapsed backwards, breaking contact as she did so and dropping Leo back to the floor.

Izo felt frozen in shock as the scene unraveled. Beside him, Pokoni squawked in disbelief and lost his balance, tumbling to the cold metal paneling constituting the floor in the room. The other two recruits took just long enough to share a glance before moving towards the fallen members. They weren't the first there though.

"Ayane!" The King's impassive demeanor vanished. She slammed her CARD down on the syringe tray and practically flew to the Queen's aid. The older woman lifted the dark haired girl from the ground and cradled her head. "Ayane, dear, take a breath," the aubernette ordered softly. "Hold on, darling, hold on."

Ayane stirred in her superior's grip, eyelids fluttering as she tried to rally. The effort seemed to breakthrough when she realized Getotsu and Reagan were trying to help Leo up.

"Don't!" She cried out, jerking forward to a sit. "Conduit! Stop! He's-he's a conduit!"

**-J-**

"...What's a conduit?"

Nel frowned at the ceiling, her plate of pancakes lying untouched on her lap. Half an hour later, after they'd been ushered out and sent to get their breakfast and bring it to another area in conjunction to the main tower, the question still hung in the air.

"Judging by the King's reaction, I'm guessing it's good for us and bad for whoever finds themselves on the receiving end," Getotsu answered his partner. "As for the how though... I can't say." He flexed, watching as his forearm muscles contracted, shifted, and bulged. It hurt still. It stung where the needle had punctured his skin and a dull ache was now creeping up his arm into the rest of his muscle groups. Also, he was beginning to feel heavier. It shouldn't have come as any surprise, given Ayane's evaluation of his O-Gene powers, but his body seemed yet to accept that it would truly house such properties.

_So then... what does that Leo boy feel like right now? _Getotsu grimaced. The reaction had been far more violent; and after the Queen's warning he'd been left untouched. As they'd filed out, sent on their way by the King's curt and mildly threat-lined orders, the boy who looked like Rueban had come to tend to the matter.

Naturally, that meant one of three things: that not-Rueban had operated some special equipment to accomplish the task, that not-Rueban had an O-Ability suited to the task, or, most disturbingly, that that not-Rueban had not moved Leo.

_Or... not moved him alive anyway_. From the way the Queen had declared the term, it seemed like something dangerous. Perhaps a conduit was an unwanted ability set. Perhaps Koizumi hadn't wanted an Ace, and this classification gave her license to dispose of the boy. Perhaps—

"It was the second option. He's in his bunking room now."

Getotsu and Nel both jumped in their seats, looking up to see not-Rueban himself standing there, staring straight over their heads.

"And, as amusing as it is to think we're that similar, I do have my own name," the blond boy went on, idly passing a hand through his golden locks. "But nice job on distinguishing us. It took Pokoni a whole week to tell the difference consistently."

"What...?" Getotsu paused, bewildered by the disjointed statement. He blinked and shook it off. _No way to get to the bottom of this but to ask..._ "What are you—"

"Eavesdropping," the boy replied with a shrug. "People usually do it when they're looking for an opening in a conversation, or just for the fun of hearing something they weren't supposed to hear. That fits the bill just as well..."

"Or when they're looking for evidence on a sensitive matter," Nel murmured, quickly getting back to eating.

Not-Rueban gave it a moment before he tilted his head to the side. "Sorry... I guess I should've clarified: those were _my_ reasons for eavesdropping. And no, in case you were wondering, I'm not looking to rat you out to Yutsui."

Nel lowered her eyebrows and turned to Getotsu to give him a meaningful look. He stared back, wide-eyed. _What the...?_

"Would it help if we defined 'eavesdropping' as 'mildly bending the rule about reading other members minds'?"

The two seated members froze as it became painfully obvious why not-Rueban was responding to their thoughts.

"Don't give me that look," the boy chided, as if he could actually see their faces with his pewter pupil-less eyes. "I can't read your expressions or body language without it. Think of it as my due compensation for my handicaps. If I consciously tried to block out my sixth sense, it'd be like tying my hands behind my back for no reason. Not that it's easy to read someone that thinks in three directions at once... gotta hand it to Yutsui, she really picked a winner with this one."

"..."

"Oh, and it's Ayumu by the way. But if you dare call me 'Ayu', I can and will make your life _very_ miserable."

"I'm guessing that Ganguro girl can attest to that?" Nel asked, apparently willing to attempt a little banter with the invader of her mind.

_Not to mention how she let that threat slide. _Getotsu frowned at the sheathed venom in the boy's tone. _Will we have to deal with him _and_ the Noise once we land? Ugh... I don't know how I'll keep up..._

"Kyasako's kind of... different," Ayumu explained, steepling his fingers in front of him. "We all are, in J0KER, but she's just the right kind of different."

"The kind of different that makes you give up on insisting against ridiculous nicknames?" Getotsu offered. "Sounds like that's a lot, coming from you."

_Also sounds like a load of smoke screening small talk. Congratulations, maestro, we're getting nowhere._

"You know... it's funny how people dance around the question they really want to ask," Ayumu sighed, playing with his hair. "Why don't you just come out and ask about conduits already? Are you afraid I won't give an answer?"

"...Not a straight one, anyway," Getotsu admitted, being sure to give his voice a politely mild tone. Not that it mattered when the boy could see through any facade he might attempt...

The corners of Ayumu's mouth twitched, sending a pit the size of Master Tanaka's living room into Getotsu's stomach. If he made it out of this, he'd have to be more careful with the blind boy.

"But so long as you're offering," Nel jumped in smoothly. "_I _wouldn't mind your explanation about it."

The Jack paused minutely before he let go of his budding animosity and nodded. "Very well... Conduits are a skill set unique to J0KER. The first, a man who worked with Yutsui and your master, defined it as an operative with an unstable O-Gene. Ergo, their abilities are usually in limbo and dictated by the other powers-that-be around them. Including that man, only three were ever inducted before our new Ace."

"So then... they're conduits... for other O-Genes?" The idea rolled in Getotsu's mind, trying to decide if it was simply best accepted at face value, or if there was something more to it. Ever since he'd gotten on the chopper with Rueban, he'd had the creeping feeling that there were two sides to everything said.

"More or less," Ayumu conceded, outstretching a hand towards the seated duo as if he were weighing the concept for verity. "There are always differences in how the gene manifests in different members, of course. For example: Ayane is a 'touch' conduit with a Hearts leaning. Although she can channel another member's powers while in physical contact to a certain degree, she's more adept at directing energy and psyche, such as the transfer of senses or thoughts.

"Leo, on the other hand, is an 'energy' conduit with a Spades leaning. His powers are still developing, so right now his body's acting like a sponge and drawing O-Energy to itself to then manifest in elemental effusions. He's expected to stabilize around halfway through our flight. Until then, don't go near him."

"Hearts? Spades?" Nel raised her eyebrows and leaned forward. "What does that...? Wait a minute... what do you mean 'our flight'?"

Seemingly on cue, the floor beneath them groaned and shifted. Nel jerked in her seat and moved just fast enough to rescue her plate from clattering to the floor.

"Weren't you listening? 'We've got a team to track'," Ayumu shrugged, repeating Koizumi's statement from the rather brief orientation. "Yutsui decided we were taking off as soon as you were set up with your O-Genes. Don't worry though, we've moved your things to the transport so you won't be missing anything you didn't unpack."

Getotsu unbraced and gave a small smile. "Well, that's good then. I didn't unpack any... Huh? Nel!?"

Nel groaned and sunk her face into her hands. The silver-haired man just caught the tail end of a dismal murmur. "My... EM gear..."

"Oh..." _Of course she would make sure that was the first thing she found a home for in the new headquarters._ Getotsu fought down a sigh and tried to pat his companion's back comfortingly. "Sorry... about that."

Ayumu stared on a moment more, perhaps waiting to see if the grief would subside, before he gave up and began slowly walking away. "One more thing," he said over his shoulder. "It's been confirmed that a conduit was present at the base we're going to investigate. Please be careful in how you approach them."

"Why all this all the sudden?" Getotsu asked, this time not hiding a suspicious frown from his young superior. "Why are you being so open with us now? Why not say it at orientation?"

"...Personal business," Ayumu responded plainly, flicking his fingers through his golden hair again. "See, this particular conduit has a connection to a certain somebody I'm close to. I'm not asking you to get involved, just keep an eye out for me, okay?"

_He's using us,_ The sunken-eyed man pressed his lips thin as he considered the proposed command. _But that much was obvious from the beginning. What do we get out of this?_

"You get answers," Ayumu offered. "If you complete this job correctly, I promise to tell all you want about J0KER."

_...Touche, I doubt we'll get such an offer from another competent member._ Getotsu grimaced. _Who knows how much Master Tanaka knows on the subject, not to mention whether or not he'll feel like sharing. He didn't breath a word about Deck before now..._ It didn't look like an opportunity they'd get again anytime soon, they'd have to make the deal count.

"...Fine, we're in," Nel sighed, straightening up a little and sharing a resolute look with Getotsu. "Can't hurt any to be attentive; right, Getotsu?"

"Good," Ayumu nodded back and smiled quietly. "Ta-ta then."

Getotsu watched the boy disappear through the doorway silently, keeping his mind blank by focusing on smooth spots of the interior paneling. Maybe it wouldn't make a difference, but he'd had enough 'eavesdropping' for one day, and having the boy out of sight somehow made it seem plausible that he'd also be out of mind.

_If he's not already out of his mind..._

But then, to be making a deal with the child, perhaps Getotsu was as well.

**-J-**

The journey was uneventful for Ren, particularly in that he locked himself in his cabin and meditated and stretched most of the way there. Two members tried to knock and get his attention, but neither had been one of his apprentices, so he'd simply stayed silent and let them assume the room was empty or that he was sleeping. Closing comments as the members moved away seemed to lean towards the latter.

The flight was surprisingly smooth. They rode in a contraption Director Minamimoto called a Tactical Raptor Ungrounded Master Positioner, apparently a variation on something his father had invented. It was a bulky cylinder rigged up with engines and wings based off of WW III era air carrier designs. The inside housed two decks, the lower served as a quartering area with two bunking halls, a kitchenette, and a washroom, while the other was set up as a command center. The setup offered a great deal of facility, but truly the main reason was to camouflage the flight from prying eyes. Few vehicles had clearance to fly into the hinterlands of Northern Hokkaido these days, but the ones that did were usually government issues bringing liquidator supplies. According to their cover, they were a clean up scow sent to purify the tainted lands.

In a way it was funny how close that was to the truth.

Ren, not quite in the mood for mingling, had only stolen a glance into the command area before returning to his bunk and taking up a lotus position. He could hear movement outside his door, just about the entire lower deck, in fact, but Yutsui was in the command center and Getotsu and Nel had gone silent after talking with the Jack. The girl the other members called Kya was making a valiant effort to fill the silence, but Ren had little stake in what she was verbalizing, so he blocked her out.

The CARD he'd been issued lay on the floor in front of him. The screen was dark, pretending to be idle, but he could hear the minute ticks and and hums of the energy transferring between components, indicating that there was indeed still some task it was carrying out. He'd attempted to reveal all the devices functions before he laid it down, but even running at bare minimum it was making too much noise to be doing what it claimed to. Obviously, the tech officer didn't want certain features to be tampered with.

The prime case was, of course, that the CARD refused to shutdown. At least it tried to explain that one though. It'd flashed a neatly written reminder of the importance of team communication and accountability over the course of the next mission. Ren also suspected that auto-follow had then been enabled to prevent members from leaving it behind, accidentally or otherwise. As one of the main features added to the CARD directly prior to Ren's departure, the CARD's minipropulsion unit had enough force to effectively support the device at a hover. When Ayumu had caught up to him in Tokyo, the boy had demonstrated the advances in the technology by setting the device to follow him unmanned. Ren had to admit, short of surgical implants, it _did_ seemed the most logical way to keep tabs on members.

And Ren understood. Really, he did. This wasn't an issue of personal rights, it was an issue of survival. Noise didn't leave remains of their victims and they came out of thin air. In an isolated environment like the Hokkaido lab, they'd need every bit of security they could muster. The last time he'd been there, just when the lab was being set up, actually, he'd been wary of the disconnected locale. Certainly, it eliminated the restricting factor of civilian observation, but it also meant if the place got hit, they'd be on their own against the extra-dimensional invaders. And in a fight against the noise, any advantage was welcome.

Before leaving his CARD to forlornly stare at the ceiling from the floor, Ren had perused the present day Noise index, looking for new entries since his departure. Much like the rest of the world, this was an element that had refused to halt in reverence of Ren's thirteen year absence.

The Noise often took on the hybrid form of a normal animal with skeletal graffiti for various body parts. What would normally be a leg, tail, or even face was replaced by a contorted tribal mesh of vibrant strands still modulating between energy frequencies. As in the old days, it seemed the Noise were still named according to their base animal and a musical genre. One of the original founders of Deck, a man most simply new as "The Conductor" had an odd sense of humor and a deep love for both music and order. Even since his fall into obscurity, the organization retained the naming scheme, producing such titles as "Ragtime Drake" and "Bigban Frog". Most, if not all, strains had representatives who had faced their end at Ren's hand while he stood as King of J0KER.

_No... not just at my hand_, Ren felt a weary smile crack his lips. _She was always there too._

His hand drifted to his coat pocket and drew out an old-style pocket watch, embossed with a swirling rose blossom on its face. The cool metal disc, a bronzed jade, had not seen a polisher in years, but was still as smooth as the day Ren had received it. Allowing his eyes to come down to rest on the antique, he thumbed the release and removed a ring woven of pewter strands from the stilled clockwork.

"_You know..._" He could almost hear her saying, adjusting her glasses uneasily as she looked away. _"Just in case you find someone someday. You'll need to find her on time mind you, Ren dear, don't put it off forever! Er... That is..."_

A forgotten smile surfaced from the bog of better days. He could remember the first time she'd called him that. She'd blushed bad enough to match her auburn hair. There was precious little that she ever got serious about, but only a few people realized personal relationships made the list.

Or... it had.

Ren stirred as his CARD emitted a bright and insistent alarm to indicate an incoming transmission. Carefully tucking the watch and the memories away, he collected himself and cleared his throat.

"Answer."

The CARD beeped its acknowledgment at his baritone command and proceeded to produce the voice of a young man Ren had only heard around the corners back on base. If he was with them now, then it naturally follwed he'd been the one member missing for the meeting in the MATH Tower.

"Landing in Hokkuro is commencing," the young man announced. "All hands to the strategy room. I repeat, all hands to the strategy room. Fearless lea—Ahem! I mean... Ms. Koizumi will brief you on our plan of action there and organize our initial efforts. Collin, out!"

The CARD clicked and beeped at the cut of the transmission. _Well, I suppose that's that then, _Ren nodded to himself. Unfolding his legs, the newly rejoined Deck Operative sprung from the bunk and scooped his CARD off the floor before heading out the door. He could already hear the vast majority of the members clanging their way up ahead of him. _Perhaps I'll be last again_, Ren mused, pursing his lips. _I shouldn't be making a habit of that..._

Across the way, someone else was apparently also just coming out of seclusion at Yutsui's bequest. The dark haired young man with a black hoodie, Mr. Parker, stumbled forth from his room and blinked groggily at the upper deck. The boy leaned heavily on the wall and quirked his eyebrows as he caught his balance.

"W...what are we...?"

"We're about to land at our destination," Ren provided, offering a hand, which the boy took. "We left base about two to three hours ago and have been heading into Hokkuro, the forgotten north lands of Hokkaido. Sleep well?" he added with a small attempt at a friendly smile. Parker's disheveled appearance and disoriented countenance certainly gave the impression of a nap, as if he'd been trying to sleep off his decision to join J0KER, only too late.

The young man winced, but chuckled. "Sort of... I feel like I got ran over by a hoverboarder with a seriously tripped out ride."

"The O-Gene can react that way," Ren noted softly. Coming alongside his fellow nonpunctual operative, he began helping the boy to the upper deck. "Don't let Yutsui catch you complaining about it."

Parker flinched, but gave a weak nod as he quickly began supporting his own weight. With his free hand, he held his stomach and rubbed it gingerly.

"A... little quieter next time, please," the hooded boy coughed, before giving a hopeful grin. "I... think I'm still waking up or something."

Ren felt a frown surface internally. Perhaps the injection had left the young man's senses tender. Only someone with Ren's hearing could've claimed that to be loud.

…

"Oh," Ren murmured. Of course, this was the Leo Getotsu, Nel, and Ayumu had been talking about; their new conduit. "I see then."

"Huh?" Parker, or... Leo as he seemed to be more commonly dubbed, lifted his well defined eyebrows. The boy had the look of someone who'd just missed a joke and was wishing to get in on it. "You see _what_ then?"

"You're the conduit."

"Whoa!" Leo blinked and halted, turning on Ren to fully confront him. Apparently he had stabilized enough to stand on his own. "How'd you know that? I mean... You weren't at orientation, right?"

"Correct," Ren allowed himself a humoring smirk. "So?"

"What d'you mean 'So'?" Leo laughed. "Did your sidekicks tell on me?"

_Sidekicks... I suppose you could refer to apprentices as such... _"...In a way. Let us simply say the O-Gene has a way of opening doors for its host, shall we?"

"...Umm... what?"

"Nevermind," The older man shook his head and strode on towards the meeting room. He wasn't quite in the mood for lengthy explanations, and there were more important matters at hand to be addressed. Leo would simply have to wait. "You'll understand in good time, I'm certain."

After a beat of what Ren assumed was conflicted thought, the patter of the boy's footsteps again followed his own.

As expected, they were the last into the meeting room. Everyone from the previous day's assembly was again gathered, minus director Minamimoto, and now watched intently as Yutsui's CARD projected a holographic model of their destination.

"Good to see you could finally make it," the King greeted them with polite sarcasm. "Should I have Collin check the doors to make sure you don't lock yourselves in in the future?"

"Sorry," Leo apologized, rubbing the back of his head and giving a rueful smile. "I wasn't planning on taking that nap today."

Ren simply nodded his acknowledgment of his lateness and stared at the flickering floor plans before them. There was no point in going through the motions with Yutsui; if she was anything the same, then she still valued curt honesty over the alternative.

"...As I was saying," The petite King began again after a moment. Perhaps she _had_ been waiting for him to say something. But what? A trivial excuse so she could mock him? A blustery reprimand that it hadn't taken him _that_ long? She knew him better than that, didn't she? "The Hokkuro Compound is currently engaged in what we call a 'dead'-lockdown. Power has been disabled and manual operation of the equipment, especially the doors, requires a special password known only by the staff posted here."

"Ms. Koizumi?" Ren caught Getotsu's voice coming from the near end of the room. "You do mean the posted staff _and_ the director, right? I mean, suppose that something like... well _this_ happened? Without the original staff handy, how are we supposed to—?"

"We'll find a way," Yutsui assured him flatly. "Normally, you would be right, Mr. Tezano. But thanks to an unexplained error, none of the provided codes are working. It's too early to pin down the exact source, but until then I want you all to keep an ear to the ground and an eye out for remaining members who might have a clue of what's going on. Radio in the answer to either Collin or myself if you find something."

The slight quaver of irritation in her tone while explaining the source was probably undetectable to the rest of the room. Ren knew it well though. It was the sort of thing that she did when following orders she didn't like;dutifully obedient on the outside, and privately, unapologetically furious within.

She didn't like the situation, obviously. That much was written in the gleam hiding in her eyes, contrasted against her cool, collected exterior. Were it thirteen years earlier, she'd probably be gritting the orders to her Suit through her teeth.

Of course, were it thirteen years earlier, it would be Ren conducting the briefing.

"Now, I may not be a mind reader like my Jack, but I can tell what you're thinking," Yutsui sighed, bouncing her arm along in an up and down wave. "'Aren't we here to track the missing squad?' Well... yes and no. Our objectives have been stated as follows:

"One: We are to attempt a resurrection of the Hokkuro base by securing the perimeters and restarting the harness in the geothermal power center. Ayane will lead this effort. Rueban, Arisa, and Bluey-two-shoes here are assigned to her support team, got it?"

The team she'd just listed gave a clear "Affirmative!". Or... the team minus the blue-haired boy. That one pushed his circular-lens shades up his nose and grumbled something in reply

"...Care to repeat that?" Yutsui asked, tilting her head to the side as she examined the dissenter, like a predator that is mildly curious of an odd intruder into its lair.

"...No Ma'am," the boy answered, breaking eye contact to scowl to the side.

"Good," The aubernette smiled in approval and tapped the side of her head. "You can get that attitude in gear by the time we see each other again, 'kay, sweetie?"

The remark induced an indignant twitch, but apparently the boy had learned his lesson; He didn't bite back this time.

"So, back to the objectives," Yutsui casually stretched her arms and started again. "Number two: Search for surviving staff in the living quarter of the compound. That's riiight... here." Her fingers ran above the holographic floor plans in front of them before landing on a raised area overlooked by a domed tower. "With the elevators out of the question due to power failure, I've selected Leo Parker as the team leader for this task. Mr. Parker, I'm counting on you to do what you do best to find a way in there. Accompanying you will be Miss Reagan, Pokoni, and Ayumu. Please defer to Ayumu on all matters of J0KER protocol. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!...uh, Ma'am!" Leo responded, grinning as he went arrow-straight and held a crooked salute. Pokoni and Ayumu echoed the sentiment quickly, leaving Nel to simply nod her understanding of her placement. While the girl was mostly hidden away within the crowd, Ren did catch the flicker of a grimace passing her face.

"Excellent, Mr. Parker," Yutsui didn't look away from the floor plans, but seemed adequately satisfied by the response she'd gotten. "The third objective is to recover the Hokkuro research team's data from the main system core in the development complex, here on the far side of the compound." She illustrated the point by tracing a winding path to large, multi-layered structure on the very fringe of the map. With the highest point level with the ground floor of the connecting path, Ren was left to assume it was a sunken tower, burrowing beneath the earth rather than rising above it to house its floors. "As this is the area most likely to suffer from a Noise infestation, I will be handling this one personally. I call upon Mr. Tezano, Mr. Tanaka, and Ms. Kya to act as my support team. Any objections?"

"Yeah!" Kya, the Ganguro Three, called out, pumping a fist in the air before she paused and tried to rephrase. "I... I mean, Nope! No objections here, Yutsama!"

Getotsu shifted a look to Ren, silently telling the ex-operative that he'd follow whatever lead was set by his master.

Well, Ren hadn't come to scorn his old friend, he'd come to help her. "We accept with honor," the blond man answered. He closed his eyes and placed a fist over his sternum before performing a slight bow. "Long live the King."

When he came back up from the motion, it was cold, shimmering, anger in Yutsui's eyes that greeted him. Her expression had gone neutral, but was minutely struggling to push further than that.

_Well... that did not go as well as hoped. _Ren acknowledged with a slight frown. In his time, the almost ritualistic gesture had been performed to assure him his team was ready to weather the storm by his side. It was a pledge of allegiance and faith, exemplifying trust in the King and promising aid to them.

Apparently, that wasn't what Yutsui wanted.

"Yeah, long live the King!" Kya copied enthusiastically, oblivious to Yutsui's reaction. "C'mon, everybody! Yutsama's counting on us!"

"Last!" Yutsui declared quickly before the rest of the room joined in the cry. After a beat of silence, perhaps simply to gauge the weight of her own words within the group, the King continued on. "Our final objective... our final objective is something I order you to handle with the highest caution. Should we recover any lost members of the Hokkuro compound, you are to verify their identity and testimony of the compound's fall. You may offer them aid and escort, but until given the go ahead you are not to trust any of them, is that clear?"

The gathered members turned to one another and a buzz of concerned and confused murmurs filled the room.

"We can't trust 'em? Than why the heck are we lookin' for 'em!"

"She's hiding something, she's gotta be! MMW, there's more to it than this!"

"And thus the amalgamous weakness of the company is disclosed. Feh!"

"Clear, Yutsui," a controlled voice rang out. It's owner, much to the surprise of half the room, was the blind Jack, standing at his brother's side. "I'll make sure it's done."

"...Yeah, I guess," Pokoni pouted, crossing his arms and sulking.

One by one, the other members voiced their acceptance of the order. Ren joined the motion once he felt doing so wouldn't upset Yutsui in some way or another and his apprentices promptly followed.

Interestingly, the last to speak was Rueban.

_Strange, _Ren thought, studying the boy as he spoke. _I'd thought he would support his brother. Does this involve that girl the director spoke of, I wonder?_

"Well then... I believe we're done here," Yutsui informed the Suit. "Get into your assigned group and—"

"Heeey! What about Collin?" Kya asked, pausing to think as if the idea had only just occurred to her.

"Our tech officer will remain with the transport," Yutsui explained, still moving for the exit without looking back. "From here, he'll act as the communications link tower and keep us all connected and up to date. Don't worry, he's more than ready in case a Noise tries to take the position."

_Funny that you'd say that of a lone Two. _In Ren's experience, the lowest member was usually a sheltered support ability that wasn't allowed to enter combat alone. There were exceptions, of course, but the way Yutsui spoke of Collin seemed to indicate that he didn't belong in the position.

_Must be a punishment for misdemeanors then,_ the reinstated operative concluded, taking his leave to follow Yutsui. Once all this was said and done, he'd have to meet the fellow to appraise his worth with his own eyes.

_Until then..._ Ren breathed deep and set his eyes on the stormy, blackened lands waiting outside the transport that passed in flits through the viewing ports lining the wall. _I suppose I must focus on surviving this tomb of the past_.

Shifting his eyes to Yutsui's back, still turned away from him, he took another breath and began buttoning his coat. The grounds looked cold from here. _Unlike most of Deck, _The former King reflected with a shiver, _I don't think this is a case where looks will be deceiving._

*****Author's Note*****

_Hello, everyone! And Happy New Year! Also, Happy anniversary to Amulet Misty's Deck 104! One year ago, the first chapter appeared on Fan Fiction and wowed audiences around the world. Coincidentally, this also happened to be the post day assigned to me. Zetta fun times, right?_

_Anyway, it's good to get through another chapter and officially close the cover on the opening sequence. We're already a third through! Isn't that... frightening? I'm not sure if I'll be able to wrap it right..._

_Ah, well, no point in worrying about it for now, right? Just gotta keep moving and writing at a breakneck pace! I hope you're enjoying it so far. Leave a review or check out the other Shibuya Operation – Story Storm entries, aight? Especially __**X Days -Marked-,**__ by __**Hyoxjnn**__. That one's looking to be winding up for all sorts of epic._

_See you next week?_

_-CG_

*****Secret Report: Suits*****

_In the Original Deck 104, Deck operatives were divided into four suits named after the suits of a playing card deck. _

_-Diamonds, the Soldiers of Strength, this suit was characterized by physical enhancements. Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito was the Jack of this suit._

_-Clubs, the Ones who Move Millions, an odd suit in which the members "infuse" objects with O-Energy. The object type, however, is very specific to the user and can range from jewelry that shoots lasers to hand held game consoles that allow the user to impose ingame functions over the real world. Shiki was the Queen of this suit._

_-Hearts, the Masters of Manipulation, a suit centered on the psyche. It's members could read minds, imprint thoughts, and erase memories. Their powers tend to be psychologically based and thus, as a result, they are provided with O-Energy infused weapons with which to fight the Noise. Joshua was the Two, or "Deuce" of this suit._

_-Spades, the Elite Elements, the fourth and final suit, based on elemental attacks. Spades therefore have an affinity for lightning bolts, pryokinesis, and all other manner of energy based projections._

_Neku was the King of this suit._

_Additionally, most suits are "incomplete", having gaps between the ranks as seen in J0KER before the new recruits fill in the cracks. In this fic, just as Jokers aren't actually any given suit, J0KER contains talent and abilities from all four categories as well as a few tricks of its own, such as the conduits._

*****Secret Report:Izo Shuito*****

_Izo is a fun character to write if only for all the weird ways he'll explain his ideas. He's terminally anti-social and won't raise conversation on his own (although he has no problem retaliating with a remark that's likely to go over the recipient's head). As a general rule, it's safe to assume that he won't do anything without a VERY large personal stake on the matter. He values his self-centric quest for identity and little else at this point._

_In his original iteration, __**The World Ends With You Prequel: A Fall Into Honor, **__Izo was still Rei's foster brother and both entered the Reaper's Game after dying in an elevator in Pork City Tower. There, they allied with Joshua and his half-brother, __**Ayumu Ki. **__While Izo still had a rather detached standing with his companions, he proved faithful in the final battle against the GM._

**}The Inside Joke{**

**\\Don't forget to pick up your survival packs on the way out! Me and Ayane packed you guys some rations for while you're out. d^^b **(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Rations? Woot! Do we, like, get any snacks?(Kyaaa)

-Actually, I think the rations _are_ snacks.(ari3)

-Not all of 'em. There's some pretty good bento in there. It was so tasty I ate it all right there! (2little2late)

-Oh, um... you weren't supposed to eat that until you were out in the field... Anyone feel like sharing?(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Not it. (ari3)

-I decline. (Ayumu)

-Sorry...(Kyaaa)

-Awwww! C'mon!(2little2late)

**\\Attention all operatives: remember to regularly report in while out on assignment. Mr. Graves and Director Minamimoto will be running support, so don't hesitate to call. **(HotSpringKoi)

-Understood, Yutsui. (-Sentence-)

-No problem!(XMaybexImxAxLionX)

-Can we call you too? (2little2late)

-You can if you want your salary cut in half. (HotSpringKoi)

-She's probably setting up a snarky away message as we speak...(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Oh, Collin darling, you know me too well. (HotSpringKoi)

-Whoa! Hang on... Was that a... compliment Yutsui just gave? 0_o (ari3)

-As close as she comes, anyway. Better not to question it. (RueTheDay)

**\\Anyone know where the equipment room is in the Compound? I'd like to swing by it if it's on my way. **(GhettoSoup)

-You should already have all the equipment you'll need, but I think the main storage area is by the living quarters. Why?(}+REvanentCG+{)

-I was actually inquiring on my colleague's behalf. She left something behind by accident, you see. (GhettoSoup)

-Getotsu... you really don't have to worry about that. (N31!31)

-Awww... you two are like, so cute. ^^ (Kyaaa)

-OMG, totally agree, Kya! (ari3)

-...(GhettoSoup)

-...It's not like that. (N31!31)

**\\Will there be any form of practice before we confront the vaunted Noise purportedly lurking in the area? **(iZOlation)

-Learn by doing. We don't have time for practice right now. (HotSpringKoi)

-Don't worry though, we'll be right there with you to see you through. (-Sentence-)

-Constructive criticism will also likely be available, free of charge. (RueTheDay)

-...I see.(iZOlation)

**\\Hey everyone! We've got a stowaway. Anybody bring a black tabby with them?**(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Negative, it's probably a stray. Discard it at once. (HotSpringKoi)

-Awww, Yutsama... Can't we keep it? It's probably really cute! (Kyaaa)

-Motion seconded. I call dibs once this is over. Kitties ftw! (ari3)

-Thirded. He can stay in my office when you get back. (YuuMeAndAMocha)

-I wouldn't mind the company... besides, I could call him San-Mew! (}+REvanentCG+{)

-Wouldn't that be Mew-san...? (-Sentence-)

-No, not in this case. He's not the original.(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Isn't that the point? (Ayumu)

-I'm so confused... (-Sentence-)

**#WildcardShuffle – Current Song – Into Your Veins(Five Iron Frenzy)**

**Next Song – Machine(Regina Spektor)**


	4. Game IV: Rummy

**Deck: J0KER**

By Chronic Guardian

**Game IV: Rummy**

_Rules: Each player (ideally 3-4, though only 2 is also doable) is dealt a number of cards determined by regional rules, though commonly seven, and the rest of the deck is placed in the center as the stock. One card is drawn from the stock as the start of the discard pile. Play then commences as players take turns in a clockwise fashion, traditionally starting from the left of the dealer. _

_Each turn has three phases: 'pickup', 'play', and 'discard'. During 'pickup', the player can either choose to pickup either one from the stock or as many cards as he(or she) likes from the discard pile so long as they can play the bottom card on that turn. Then comes 'play'. Players may put down cards from his(or her) hand if they 1: have a run of three, or more, of the same suit(6,7,8 of Hearts, for example), 2:have a match of three, or more, of the same type (9s of Spades, Clubs and Diamonds), or 3: can play off of cards another player has played in a similar fashion (putting down the 9 of Hearts should either of the previous examples be in play). When playing "around the corner", kings may be chained to aces that are chained to twos. _

_After 'play', the player must then discard one card. This is especially important in ending the game, wherein a player have one last card remaining after his(or her) 'play' phase to discard and go 'out'._

_Play continues until one player runs out of cards, at which point players count their cards and tally points. Face cards (and tens, by some rules) are worth ten points each, number cards are worth five, and aces are worth fifteen, unless played at the end of a three-two chain. Cards remaining in a player's hand count against him(or her). The player with the most points wins. _

_-J0KER, October 2104, Direct Retrievable Audio Wave #144: Conversation between members Ten and King as follows:_

"Ms. Yutsui?"

"Mmm?"

"A word before we leave?"

"What? Got a lecture for how I ran that meeting back there? 'Ms. Koizumi! Make eye-contact and give clear examples!' A little late, don't you think? "

"...I was just curious about our last objective."

"Hmph. What? Did you forget the original meaning of J0KER?"

"I... don't follow."

"Alright..." *Sighs* "Everyone else keep moving. I've got a thing or two to nail into this numbskull here. Got it?"

"..."

"Okay, let me ask _you_ a question, Renkuko Tanaka. Did you stop to wonder for a moment why I tried to contact you again after all these years? Or are you still running so witless that you can't even think yourself that far?"

"You needed my help. What more is there to it than that?"

"Ohhhh! So _now _that matters, huh? Great! Let's throw a party in honor of your breakthrough, shall we? It only took thirteen years!"

"Yutsui, calm yourself."

"...You've got some nerve, Ren. But, I guess... maybe that's why I asked you to come back. You're a stupid, self-righteous, self-absorbed little cretin of a man, but you're still..." *Huffs*

"Still... what?"

"You're... still the same man I looked up to... I guess—Look, you _know _I'm not good at this, okay?"

"...Yes, I know."

"—'But your capability does not decide the necessity of the skill', yeah, yeah, I know, I know. I've heard your lines a million times."

"Was I truly so monotonous?"

"You weren't. Doesn't mean your ghost hasn't been running on repeat ever since you left."

"My ghost?"

"...Look, you asked about the objective, right? Let's try not to get sidetracked. Just... keep it in mind: You may have taken a break from the game, but the Noise never did. Turns out they're worse than we thought."

"So what does that have to do with the surviving members then?"

"Shape shifters, psyche benders, _something_ that we only got a glimpse of before the lab went silent. There's something out there, Ren, something that wants to get inside Deck. Watch your back. And if we _ever_ split up, don't trust me or anyone else until you can see their eyes again. Okay?"

"Understood, Yutsui."

"...Ren, dear. I hope you really mean what you say this time."

"Trust me, I truly do."

-Close(DRAW#144)-

**-J-**

If there was a place colder or wetter than Hokkuro, Leo was quickly deciding it would be quite an adventure to find it. It wasn't raining when they departed, but it was a cold sort of humid that precipitated and soaked into his clothes. He'd been issued a rain poncho, cowl, and goggles at the transport's exit, but they weren't helping much.

They'd landed in what seemed to have been a conjunction courtyard. Benches made of black stone ringed the site where multiple concrete sidewalks crisscrossed and lead to different parts of the compound. At each exit, a simple black arch constructed of twisted black metal marked the end of the yard, and the beginning of everything that wasn't included in the current sanctuary.

Looming in the east was the black domed tower Koizumi had indicated when pointing out the area Leo and his group were to search. Viewing it in person, Leo could see that the tower ran up the side of a bluff that cut through the compound, creating a natural terracing effect in the structure layouts.

_They must've chosen me because they think I can free run it, _Leo concluded, studying the stark height difference the tower climbed. Perhaps there was an easy way about it, but from here it looked pretty impervious. Leo grinned to himself. _Challenge accepted._

Some of the members who'd been with the group longer gathered for a goodbye. They exchanged hugs, waves, and a weird salute thing nobody'd done up to this point. Nel, the girl who'd been assigned Leo's squad, left to have a similar ceremony with the guy she hung out with.

Thus, Leo was left to stand with Izo, the blue-haired Four, and watch.

Watch, shiver, and try to make good use of the items they'd been given to combat the weather as more dampness crept up their pant legs.

"You're on the power supply team, right?" Leo asked his fellow outcast hopefully. The sooner they got going, the sooner this guy could get the heaters on this place working. The thought alone was enough for Leo to cling to while they waited for the valediction to abate.

The gangly anti-socialite simply gave an irate "hmph". Apparently weather like this didn't put him in the mood for talking.

"Good luck," Leo said with a smile hidden by his cowl, ignoring the other young man's attitude. "Try to keep warm, right?"

"That shouldn't be a botheration, " The Four finally responded. "A geothermal plant should exude enough pertinacious torridity to make these conditions obsolete, even if they are the current mainspring."

"Current... mainspring?" Leo chuckled and turned to face the blank, reflective stare of Izo's goggles. "And how's that? I mean... wouldn't that mean they'd be heating this place up?"

"Precisely," Izo nodded. "The heat is currently what's causing the moisture to humidify and permeate our garments. Still like the inkling?"

"..." It was slowly dawning on Leo that maybe this guy didn't want to talk. Shrugging to himself, the Ace tugged at his cowl and turned back to watching the farewell party he hadn't been invited to.

_Why are we waiting anyway?_

Suddenly, the whole assembly snapped to attention as Ms. Koizumi emerged from the back of the transport with Mr. Tanaka in tow.

_Oh, right._ Leo put his hands on his hips and looked down. _She told us to go on ahead... Wonder what that was about_.

"What?" King Koizumi asked calmly in answer to the crowd's attention. "You've got your orders. We _are_ burning daylight here."

Beside Leo, Izo quickly left to join his squad. There was a brief moment of standing awkwardly alone in the cold before Leo was joined by three poncho-and-cowl-cloaked figures he assumed were his squad. How did they tell it was him anyway?

"Mind reading," one of them murmured, tapping their head as they slung their pack over their shoulder. "Although I'm told there are other ways."

"What?" A member near Leo's height with a fair hued braid dangling out from her poncho hood (Ms... Reagan, was it?) tilted a look at the speaker. "Umm... want to explain that one?"

"He was wondering how to tell us apart," the operative, probably the much-talked about Ayumu, answered with a half-shrug as he walked on down the path towards the tower. "And, as you can understand, I'm sure, mind reading will only work as a solution for me. For the rest of you, Collin mentioned something about an emblem, or a fringe or something. I just... can't confirm it."

"Oh!" Leo exclaimed. On closer inspection, each poncho _did_ have a circular badge with a different icon embroidered in silver thread. A flaring star, a flower bloom, and a wrench looked back at Leo's own argent running shoe. The freerunner laughed. "Well, that's cool!"

"Yes, so is the weather," Ayumu replied in a deadpan tone. "Keep moving, Leo. The cliff's up ahead."

"You heard 'em, Parky!" the last member of the group, obviously Pokoni, punched Leo in the arm as he passed and marched purposefully towards the tower. "We've got some monkey business for ya to handle!"

"R-right!" Leo answered belatedly before he joined them in step. _M-monkey business?_ "Let's do this!"

The sidewalk didn't last long. In it's place, a series of metal planks that had been grooved for traction quickly ran out from under the archway that declared the border of the makeshift landing zone and twisted through a group of ovular constructions supported by a spindly web of metallic legs. The things kind of resembled giant, gray eggs if you looked at them right. From there, Leo assumed it led to the looming tower and the residential grounds it guarded.

"What are these?" Pokoni asked, stumping suspiciously up to one of the monstrous eggs and running his gloved hands over its exterior. "Did they discover dinosaur eggs in Hokkuro?"

"I don't know," replied Ayumu. The blind boy tilted his head back slightly, as if to study the sky, or perhaps test the wind on his nose. "I feel... something inside. But they might just be decorations. The guy in charge of this place was kind of... weird."

"Are they mechanical?" Ms. Reagan gingerly rapped a knuckle against one of the ovals further up the road. The object gave a dull "clunk" with each impact. "I wonder what's inside..."

Pokoni twitched and perked up "Wait! Maybe it's like a Easter egg! If we can bust it open, there'll be all sorts'a loot inside!"

"Only if 'loot' gives off O-Energy," Ayumu shot down the diminutive dreamer's fantasies without remorse. By now, he and Leo were the only ones making steady progress on the slope. "Maybe it's even a Noise..."

"WHAT?!" Pokoni promptly leapt backwards. Throwing his left hand in front, to guard against whatever imagined threat the metal egg held in incubation, the boy snapped with his right index finger. A tiny ball of fire popped into existence in his palm, twitching in the northerly winds as it waited to dispose of the yet-to-appear enemy.

"...Or maybe it's just one of the Zetta Squad's experiments," Ayumu finished with a shrug. "They _were _doing research on O-Energy infusion here. This is the birthplace of the Hearts' weapons, you know.

"Or... you would know if you knew what the Hearts' weapons are," the Jack corrected himself, crossing his arms. "Because Hearts usually don't have directly offensively oriented powers, they're issued O-Energy imbued weapons that technically any civilian could wield if it came down to it. These devices probably collect and store the energy used for that."

"Speaking of storage..." said Ms. Reagan, standing up from her investigation and heading back towards the path. "Where are we staying tonight?"

"Huh?!" Pokoni's cowl and goggles were as impassive as ever, but Leo could vividly imagine the kid's face screwing up in indignant confusion. "Where did that come from?"

"It's a little passed noon right now," the young woman replied, her fingers idly playing with her wrench badge. "Will we have time to get back to the transport by nightfall?"

"Probably not," Ayumu said. Despite the uncertain wording, his phrasing made it sound like an absolute statement. "We should establish a foothold in the living quarters before then. The South Section should do."

"Wait..." Leo frowned as they passed out of the forest of metallic eggs and found themselves crossing a natural bridge over a streak of vents. "South Section? So then... there's more than one part to the living quarters?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" It was Ms. Reagan who admonished him this time. "The housing terrace was about as big as the other lab grounds combined on the map. There was a half-pipe building bridging the two halves that took up most of the space, though."

"Right, the greenhouse," Ayumu supplied, tapping two fingers to his opposite palm. "In order to escape over-reliance on supply runs, the Hokkuro labs cultivate up to ninety-eight-percent of the food supply for a full staff on site. They say it's a jungle in there."

"Okay, okay, great, so there's a big greenhouse," Leo pressed on as he processed the exposition and tried to think of an intelligent conjecture to make with it. "Sooo... then how big is the staff?"

"And how are they growing anything here without giving themselves radiation poisoning?" Reagan cut in. "This _was_ the site of a bombing in the War, right?"

"The staff size used to fluctuate," Without turning around, Ayumu pointed to Leo while he answered to show whose question he was addressing first. "Until Minamimoto Double-Junior took over, this used to be a liquidators foothold. As many as one thousand were housed on site at any one time. That meant four hundred in the North Section, four hundred in the South, and the last two hundred took to the East Shelter. Because of their work, the area has been fully decontaminated of irradiation for the past twenty years, making safe agricultural practice possible. Once Deck bought out the base and refurbished it into a lab, we converted plots of the north and south sections into the greenhouse area."

"How many people could the base hold then?" Reagan asked, moving to Leo's side of the inquiry now that hers had been satisfied. "After the conversion, I mean."

"Each section could probably house a hundred and fifty," Ayumu lazily murmured. "But... we only had about ten at the time of the incident."

"Only _ten_?!" Pokoni blanched, doubling over as if the remark made him sick. "For a place 'dis big? Bleaugh! What a waste!"

Leo chuckled at the unpredictable Seven's reaction. "Why? What would you do with it?"

"I'd fill it with O-Gene warriors! Duh!"

"To do what?"

"To kick Noise-butt! Duh! C'mon, Parky, don't ya got ANY imagination?"

"It'll show later," Ayumu cut in smoothly before Pokoni could realize Leo was holding in a laugh. " In the meantime, we need to figure out how to deal with this."

"Huh?" Leo wiped ineffectively at his goggles before settling for blinking his mirthful tears away. "What d'you... oh! Gotcha!"

Looming before them was the dividing bluff. Naturally, it looked much bigger in person than it had on the miniature. Like a creaky set of stairs forming out of the black cliff face, deteriorating terraced plots climbed their way up the smooth rocks, each about ten feet in height difference.

It was doable. Or... doable for Leo. Ayumu probably couldn't. Pokoni probably had the energy, but not the finesse. As for Reagan... Leo shifted the girl a curious examining look that she apparently didn't notice just yet. The majority of her form was indistinguishably mantled in her rain poncho, but just from the way she moved he suspected she would be good at climbing. Maybe he could give her a quick lesson...

"Umm... hey, Parky?"

Leo threw a glance back at Pokoni before looking back to the battered cliff and wetting his lips. "Yeah? What's up?"

"Why aren't we using the doors to get through?"

_What? Oh! Right, the tower!_ Leo gave a small laugh. "Oh, that." The freerunner took a step back and rubbed his head as he examined the much less challenging alternate route. "Well, Umm... Ayumu?"

"Like they said at briefing, this place is under 'dead'-lockdown," Ayumu helpfully obliged. "None of the doors will open without power and an access code."

"Hmm... ain't got nuttin' for an access code," the antsy redhead boy admitted grudgingly. "What about with a pack of Poko-special ballistics? Would that work too?"

"Better not," The blind blond shook his head.

"...Why not?" It was Reagan this time that posed the question. She was standing at the doors to the tower now and was fiddling with the keypad beside it. "I mean, will it come out of our paycheck or... ah, yes, there is that."

"There's what?!" Pokoni demanded, stamping his foot in indignance at being left out of the current train of thought. "Come ooon! Why come I can't just do some fireworks?!"

"Security measures," Ayumu explained. "As a last resort against the Noise in a 'dead'-lockdown the doors are rigged to respond in kind to high-energy signatures."

"Okay..." Leo bobbed his head slowly. "So, in other words..."

"He blasts the door and the door blasts back?" Reagan said, taking a cautious few steps away from the barricade. "Huh... yeah, we should probably try something else then. Any ideas Leo?"

Leo quirked an easy smile under his cowl and looked back to original option: scaling the cliff. "Well... I guess I could come up with something. What powers am I working with here? Ballistics, Acceleration, and... mind reading?" he listed, pointing to each member in turn and ending with a slightly off note as he tried to figure out how the heck he could use mind reading in this situation. "Heheh... umm. Well, I guess if we can't find steps, we'll... make our own?"

Reagan paused a moment, then nodded. "Okay... How?"

"Well, Pokoni could—"

"Yeah, but would the cliff stay up?"

"Oh..." Leo trailed off and put a hand to his chin. "Umm... Good point."

"_Rrrrmgph!" _The earth gave an irritated groan. Around the four operatives, the air seemed to shimmer and darken, as if a fog were rolling in out of nowhere. Out of the distortion, a set of blood red streaks slowly slid open and ebony claws clacked as they swirled into existence.

"But there's no time like the present to find out!" The Ace quickly added, thumping his right fist down into his open left hand. "Pokoni," he pointed at the Star-badged Seven, then at the cliff behind them. "I need you to make a path up that you and Ayumu can climb. Ayumu, I need you to tell me what the heck we can do against these things. Reagan? You... umm..."

"Yah!" The girl grunted and lunged at an emerging snout, bearing her weight down into a blow. The forming draconic face emitted a surprised shriek and slammed into the ground, the rest of its body falling in a gangly heap as it finished its entrance.

"That'll work!" Leo approved, grinning to himself. Turning back to the blind boy, the freerunner tilted his head. "Now, about our powers?"

"Pokoni works in fire power. Explosions, to be specific," The Jack replied. "Ms. Reagan acts as a potential energy accelerator. She can convert the potential energy of an object into kinetic energy. As for me—" He lifted a hand at the next approaching lizard coming out of the air. Immediately, a golden aura surrounded the creature's head and twisted it three-sixty degrees. There was a sickening crack and the beast went limp and began to fade in black and white particles, as if it were turning in to old television static. "—Let's just call it a metaphysical extension.

"You, lastly, are an energy conduit. You can draw in high-energy from a distance as well as copy certain O-Abilities to a degree while in the presence of the original."

Leo looked down at his own hands and tried to imagine the same golden aura coming off of them. "So I could do what you just did?"

"You could always try it."

Another three of the lizard things – no, _Dragons_ (They had wings) – had made their way onto the cramped landing and the one Reagan had grounded was now gathering itself for a counter.

_Boom!_

Leo flinched and reflexively threw a glance over his shoulder before he remembered his orders to Pokoni.

_Boom! Boom! Boom!_

The kid had really taken it to heart, creating a series of landslides to send the rocky sides of the cliff into sloping disarray. Dirt and pebbles rained down, pelting the battleground and causing the assembled Drakes to take notice of the terraforming Seven.

"Oh, no you don't!" Leo declared, stepping in front of his young charge and trying to visualize the same flames coming from his hands. In response, his fingers emitted a small wave of sparks that quickly died in the north winds.

Exchanging gutteral clicks, the Noise seemed to decide among themselves that Leo didn't count as a viable authority. The mutant reptilians then gathered together and charged the group. Ayumu knocked one sideways with whatever his extension thing was and Reagan sent another flying by a hit to its underbelly, but that still left two sets of fangs and claws bearing down on them.

Leo squeezed his eyes shut and tried again to visualize heat, power, and anything else he could associate with an explosion. _C'mon, Leo, think! THINK!_

"_NEXUS RAY!"_

There was a brief instant of searing heat ripping through the air in the wake of the bellow before everything went still.

_Is this... death ?_

As Leo cracked his eyes open again on relatively the same scene, as well as an acute awareness of the still dismal temperature conditions, his mind slowly accepted that he was still, in fact, alive and present.

It also accepted that the two Dragons that had been about to seal his fate had turned into a charred crater. Beyond the smoking site of their demise, the bridge leading into the section seemed to have taken some damage.

"Who...?" Leo whipped a glance back towards Pokoni, trying to discern if the kid was responsible. The diminutive Seven, frozen in mid sling, gave a small, shaky shrug.

"Him," Ayumu said queitly. Leo looked to the blind boy before following the direction of his point up the cliff face.

Standing at the top, arms crossed, a stocky figure in a glistening, leathery jacket stared down at them. It was hard to tell from this distance, but Leo could've sworn there was something covering the newcomer's right eye. In response to the stares, the guardian hulk hefted a grunt and looked away.

"'Bout time you butter fish showed up."

"..."

"What? Ain'tchu gots somethin' ta say? Or are ya a bunch of lost turrists?"

"..."

"Fine..." The man sighed and began stalking his way down the slope towards them. Soon enough, Leo could see that the man indeed had a patch marked with six silver studs over the right side of his face. He had a strong chin, wild, short cropped blond hair, and a soft set frown that twitched as he examined the Deck Operatives with his good eye. "Can see you're just a buncha rug-tossing windbags, so I guess that leaves it ta me ta get us outta here!"

"Umm... who are—?" Leo began, gathering himself in the face of the rather loud and presumptuous survivor.

"What? They didn't tell ya?" The bulky blond man balked. "C'mon! I thought every wise-crackin' hopscotch on this side a the Okhotsk got a proper briefin' before getting' thrown out into the field!"

Leo exchanged a look with Reagan. Despite the goggles both were wearing, he had the feeling they were wearing similar expressions.

"Ahhh... what the ruckus..." The man went on, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Fine... I guess I can tell you buncha napkin dispensers."

Sticking a thumb to his chest, the man took a proud stance and grinned wide. "Call me 'Die'."

"Oh!" Leo looked again at the studs on the man's eyepatch, set in two lines like the six on a pair of dice. _Guess that makes him a lucky seven if you count his other eye... _"So you were stationed at—?"

"But for the record," The man pressed on, apparently concerned with getting the whole introduction in before anything else was said. "The booky's all just say 'Daisuke Bito'; Former J0KER and O-Gene conduit."

**-J-**

Hokkuro.

It wasn't actually what the realm was called on maps. Depending on how far you went back, you could sometimes find it listed as Rumoi, although the blanket district of Kamikawa was more common. During the Third World War, the region had been home to a number of development labs and factories. They provided a much needed boost to the Allied efforts and were once hailed as "the arrow flying true in the storm".

In the closing days of the war, Rumoi had been bombed; heavily and repeatedly, until the earth was black and the once even hills became a jagged, open wound breathing geothermal gases through cracked lips.

And so it became known as Hokkuro, the "blackened" Hokkaido.

_Hmph... the soot of years catch the temper like maggots to a loan bread loaf, _Izo mused bitterly as he tailed behind his teammates and observed the forlorn revenant structures. Just south of the courtyard, leading into the flank of the fencing mountains, a passage had been hewn. As if in reply to the further injury inflicted before even its war scars had somewhat healed, the range had been spewing copious amounts of hot gas up into the area ever since.

_But how do we purchase access while the place is locked down and we have yet to purloin a passcode?_ Izo scowled and crossed his arms as the company gathered outside the entrance. _A fine bunch of twitties I've landed myself with! Feh!_

"Arisa?" Ayane asked calmly, nodding towards the door barring their way.

"NP, your royalness," Arisa, the acronym addicted Five, shot back. She cracked her knuckles, above her head, placed a hand on the door, and took a wide stance before she uttered in a loud voice, "_Transmutation!_"

The door buckled and heaved, as if it Arisa had given it a sneeze. The dark metal contorted and compressed, twisting into a short cylinder with odd growths protruding along its length.

Eventually it came to a rest in the form of what Izo assumed to be a crude firearm.

The Blue-haired poet narrowed his eyes and gritted, "...Do all the doors here do that?"

"They could," Arisa assured him, retrieving the gun from the ground and turning to give what undoubtedly would have been an obnoxious smile had her cowl not the good grace of covering it up. "But not by default, no."

"She's a morpher," Rueban, the boy who had to be brothers with the blind brat of a Jack, offered coolly. "Only a basic one right now, hence the Five, but—"

"MYM, Rue!" The member in question retorted, sounding a little mock hurt. "C'mon, I'm the best morpher you guys have!"

"True; as well as the _only_ morpher we have," Rueban stated patiently, passing the Five and leading the way into the newly uncapped tunnel. "You still can't actually transform material types, you're limited to manipulating form. You probably don't even have functional bullets in that gun."

"Hey!" Arisa spat back, although from the way she flinched it seemed like the boy had a valid conjecture. "Don't make me—!"

"Arisa," Ayane cut in, still serene as ever. "Thank you for safely removing the door. May we now proceed?"

Arisa paused, arms winding for a full on rant. "But he..."

"Which is why he's not the Nine."

"...Fine."Arisa sighed and shook her head, collecting herself. "Yeah... you're right. Besides, he'll need me just as bad for the next door we run into."

_Just like Rei. _Izo scowled and quickly set about following Rueban into the underground access tunnels leading to the generator. Well... maybe a _little_ more refined, but the girl was still exhibiting the childish mannerisms that typified Izo's foster-sister. _At least I'm not paired with that ganguro brat,_ Izo conceded. _Heaven rest the soul of whoever received such a doom._

As they moved deeper in, the natural light filtering in from outside quickly ran out. Izo almost paused to allow someone else to fumble a torch out of their survival pack when Rueban spoke up.

"_Luminescence." _A ball of light blipped out and hovered over the Eight's hand, effectively mooting the notion of electrical alternatives. With his other hand, the boy shaded the light source and nodded his head towards the path ahead. "Shall we?"

"Why not employ that sooner?" Izo muttered, crossing his arms as they continued their march.

"What you can see also sees you," Rueban answered. "There's a certain Noise type attracted to places like this; I'd rather not wake it up by accident."

The passage way, not simply hewn from the rock, was lined with softly gurgling pipes that had seen better service days. Surprisingly, the humidity wasn't quite as bad as Izo would've expected, although it was still a mite bit warm for his tastes. As the other members began to shed and stow their rain gear in their packs, Izo took a moment to do the same. The air, now unbridled by the sterilized cowl, took on a distinct musty flavor with a sulfuric tinge. Izo took a small wiff and wrinkled his nose. _Hopefully this isn't toxic_...

"CARD, blueprints."

Izo turned on the soft-spoken command to see Ayane with her CARD floating in front of her, holographically displaying the same floor plans that Koizumi had shown them back on the TRUMP. A small red blip that Izo assumed to be their current location blinked languidly.

"Routes to back up power generator and main generator, please," Ayane continued. Obediently, a green line ran to and highlighted a rectangular chamber not far from the current position. Forming at the far side, a blue line continued the path deeper underground. The cerulean guide scurried through a series of switchback staircases before finally effusing its hue through a large room located directly beneath the landing courtyard.

Izo felt his scowl twitch as he observed the exodus. "...Feh."

"What?" Arisa flipped her peach hair, tinged green by the hologram, as she turned to give Izo a questioning look.

"Why would we need directions?" Izo growled, crossing his arms. "What else could possibly inhabit the subterranea other than the geothermal generators?"

Ayane's patient listening expression gave way to a small smile. "CARD," she ordered, locking eyes with Izo. "Directions to hydraulic, septic, broadcast, and observational systems, please."

"Access tunnels and vestigial installations?" a rich, baritone voice replied from the device.

"Please."

A myriad of branching lines, each annotated by a small marker of its color, spewed forth from the red dot and quickly filled in the entirety of the lab grounds with a tightly packed submerged network.

"You may undo that order," Ayane allowed after a moment. Quickly, the image shifted back to the green and blue layout that only included the generator rooms. "That, Mr. Shuito, is why. In the case that we become separated, please do not assume there is only one path ahead. Use your CARD and keep your head. Understood?"

"...Transparently," answered Izo grudgingly. Behind his circular shades, he mentally slapped himself for questioning her. He _knew_ she wasn't stupid. He'd just been hoping he was wrong.

"Good, then let's move out."

Izo dragged his feet, but followed the group all the same. Loathsome as he was to have company, being left in the dark felt like a decidedly stupid action so far as survival was concerned.

Only a little further in, the distant set of thumps shook the passage, causing the operatives to halt.

"What d'you suppose that's all about?" Arisa asked, still looking up at the ceiling, even as silence and stability settled in.

"Probably Noise," Rueban guessed with a shrug, bobbin the light he was holding with the motion. "Naturally, that means we should hurry it up. If part of the hive knows we're here..."

Izo gave the Eight a suspicious look. "What are you insinuating when you say 'hive'?"

"Noise are at least semi-intelligent," Rueban answered, walking down the corridor. The rest of the group conscientiously stayed within the range of his lamp and moved as if strung along by the bobbing light source. "Although it hasn't been decisively concluded, it's suspected that they understand basic strategy, as well as the concept of retribution."

"I thought they were already belligerent," Izo remarked, rolling his eyes at Rueban's redundancy.

"They are. But if there is a specific group targeting them, such as ourselves, it makes sense that they'd direct their aggression accordingly."

Izo again bit his tongue and made note to not tangle wits with this member either. Perhaps his own wit had grown dull with such a lax opponent as Rei.

At least Arisa still seemed well outside the range of intellectually threatening. Were the whole group beating him at his own game, he may as well just stop moving and wait for the Noise to find him.

"Okay, so WtPoA?" the peach haired Five asked tersely, giving their surroundings a once over with the hopefully-operational firearm she'd crafted from the door. "We'll need space to put up a good fight."

"Then be careful not to damage the back up generator," Ayane said, taking the lead as they came upon another door. Across the top, the words "Relay #1" had been written in write paint. "If that goes down, then we won't have power until we reach the main generator. Arisa?" the Queen gestured towards the portal. "If you would?"

Arisa raised her eyebrows and smiled brightly as she acquiesced.

_I would be happy too, _Izo mused,_ if I were only useful once in a blue moon_.

Just like before, Arisa put her hand on the door and uttered the magic word and, just like before, the metal obediently peeled and buckled beneath her grip. It rippled, almost life like, and crunched down into a new form.

"So, assuming that we do run into a Noise," Izo sighed, averting his eyes from the contorting material. "What would you have us do?"

Ayane didn't look back as she addressed him. In place of her eyes, the ribbon resting on the back of her head favored him with its soft gaze. "I'd like you to immobilize it. Just form ice on it to weigh it down at first, but once it's on a solid surface you'll need to ground it. Rueban and Arisa can handle the rest."

The blue-haired teen snorted. "Why not simply kill it in the first place?"

"Its strong," Ayane stated, her usual, simple tone just as prevalent as ever. "The Vespertillio Canor will take more than a few hits to decommission."

"Oh?" Izo squinted at the be-ribboned young woman as an oddity crossed his mind. "And how do you know exactly what this creature is? We've yet to see it, haven't we?"

"Well... I admit, most of it _is_ conjecture," she answered evenly. "But, given the conditions, I do have a fair claim to confidence. The Vespertillio is a large bat-Noise that only comes in the dark and has an affinity for electrical outlets. They feed on it like nectar. If the self-monitoring geothermal systems failed, I think it naturally means a Vespertillio could be in the area. You understand?"

"Umm... Aya?" Arisa interrupted. The strawberry blonde seemed to have lost her air of ill-founded self-confidence for the moment. "What classifies a Verspertillio?"

Ayane gave her subordinate a curious look. Izo felt his own face draining of color.

"I mean... what if the thing that's in there—I mean! Umm... what _might_ be in there... what if it's bigger than a Vespertillio?"

As if in reply, two blood red slits, each the size of Izo's head, slid open behind Arisa and lazily blinked.

"...Don't move."

Before anyone could react to the Queen's command, she took hold of Izo and extended her other hand towards the looming threat. The air chilled as glimmering, crystalline particles arched from her fingers, narrowly missed Arisa, and and crunched against the creature occupying the room beyond.

"_Luminescence!"_ Rueban wasn't far behind, transforming his lantern into a prolonged beam. He hit the recoiling mass of shrieking fur straight between the eyes, illuminating its golden body and enormous wings in a burst of blue light.

"My turn!" Arisa declared placing a hand on the ground. "_Transmutation!_"

Sprouting from the ground, a series of metal spikes shot up into the monster's body, pinning it to the ceiling.

And then the room was dark again. The futile wing flapping and angry gargling of the Noise filled the empty space and washed over Izo's senses. The icy teen reeled into the wall and threw his arms over his ears to block out the horrid cacophony, punctuated by the quick patter of something repeatedly hitting the walkway.

At last, suddenly, with a final squawk of anguish and a deadened flash, the chamber was still again.

Cautiously, and half expecting the creature to act up, Izo let down his guard and tried to dig out his CARD to use for light.

"Ayane!" Rueban cried out, causing Izo to fumble the device and drop it to the ground with a mocking clatter. "The generator! Fire into the generator!"

Izo, too tired to scowl, simply tried to track the sound with his eyes. _What in the world is he—?_

The room was again bathed in light, effusing from a single figure standing where the Noise had been just a moment ago. Flanking the victor on either side were enormous piston, like structures and other mechanical paraphernalia that Izo assumed constituted the generator. It was upon these contraptions that the light eventually came to focus, pouring out from the figure and into the metal framework.

It slowly occurred to Izo that the figure was Ayane.

_Right... the battery._ He closed his eyes and inhaled, getting to his feet as the generators groaned to life and lights flickered on. _But where did she get all that power? I thought her abilities were strictly tactile. _

"Wow... that was kinda reckless," Arisa said, joining Rueban and Ayane in the room. "You could've been checking into the pine-box hotel if the thing had been just a little stronger."

Rueban helped Ayane up and sighed. "She's right. Take in too much O-Energy and you might do something... permanent."

The Queen took a moment to dust herself off, before setting her jaw and giving a curt nod. "...Agreed."

"So then... why do it?" Arisa asked, hands on hips as she leaned forward inquiringly. "I mean, you _know_ that as the leader you're not expendable, right?"

Ayane reflected the girl's concerned look. "As a Deck member, I have a responsibility to do what only I can do to ensure the success of the mission. If we let that fight go any longer, we'd risk damaging the first power source."

"And what exactly is so vital about the lights being on when we have the Eight here?" Izo grumbled, finally entering the large room and pointing to Rueban. _Or does the boy have limits? _

"It's more than the lights, Izo," Ayane gave a small smile, one that almost looked sad. She tightened her hair ribbons and turned to continue on. "In order to access the laboratory's logs and uncover what happened, as well as unlock the deeper sanctuaries of the facility, we need the power to be on."

"Feh, a faulty organization," the bespectacled poet adjusted his glasses and glared at the generators, as if it were somehow _their_ fault that the grounds relied upon them. "Something like this and it all goes down."

"Well... normally the original staff would have restarted things by now," Rueban told the blue-haired teen.

"And they haven't... why?"

"If I knew I would've told Ayane," the blond boy shrugged, rather pointedly referring to the Queen rather than Izo himself. "Nothing for it but to play along for now."

"Yep! FDTRH," Arisa intoned, linking arms with the Eight (much to his disgruntlement, apparently). "C'mon, that Noise did a real number on these things, so we've only got so long before the back up runs out. The main generator awaits!"

Izo looked back longingly at the path behind and sighed. _Play along, eh?_ Was he really nothing more than a puppet being strung along? Simply another member brought along for the journey? Ayane had acted like a fool, putting herself in danger like that. She accepted her life as simply one more cog in the greater machine. Even the other members had said as much.

Still... it was what had decided the encounter.

_Is that what they expect out of me?_

Izo shook his head and hesitantly put one foot in front of the other. He didn't want to be a pawn. He couldn't allow himself to become just another piece to be played.

The blue-haired boy set his slender jaw and glared at the path ahead. Well, if he was going to play, he was going to do it by his rules. He was going to become powerful enough to move his own limbs and save his own skin the next time they met a threat. Strong enough to not rely on this organization that would use and discard him simply as a matter of principle.

One way or another, he was going to stand on his own feet next time.

**-J-**

"So until the power's up and running again, we'll just be doing things the hard way," Koizumi finished, while gliding her gloved hand against the metal door leading into the main laboratories. "Now stand back, would you, dears?"

Getotsu and the other members of his group, Master Tanaka and the energetic girl called Kyasako, gave the King berth without argument. They'd trekked to the lab entrance and removed their protective equipment in silence, an act that surprisingly even Kya had managed. Once there, however, the ganguro girl had gotten up the nerve to ask why they weren't using doors.

Koizumi had then made absolutely certain of two things. First: that the entire group understood the doors were currently rigged to rather maliciously greet potential users unless properly persuaded otherwise. And second: that so long as everyone kept their mouths shut and did exactly what the King said (directly including, in most cases, nothing), things would go much smoother.

Staring hard at the door, Koizumi took a deep breath and spread her arms wide as if tearing a rift in the air. "_Blackhole!_"

The door answered with an upset hiss and a popping gurgle before crumpling into submission as its threatening emanations were silenced. Pausing only to shake her wrists loose, the King cracked her neck and headed inside.

Master Tanaka followed without hesitation. Getotsu had never known the man to shrink from anything; Whoever Koizumi was to him, she obviously knew he could be counted on.

_Which then begs the question of why she chose _us, the silver haired man mused as he looked to Kyasako, who was still slightly embarrassed about how Koizumi had taken her question. The ganguro girl shyly met his eyes but didn't hold contact.

Getotsu put on an assuring smile. She probably felt like a small nuisance right now; insignificant and bumbling.

_Mistakes are either the bars that bind us from success, or the steps leading to it_, Master Tanaka's patient instruction noted faithfully in Getotsu's head. _Do not choose to be discouraged, choose to be successful._

"Shall we?" The sunken-eyed man asked, offering his hand.

The girl warily gazed up with wide, hopeful eyes. Slowly, she placed her mocha-brown fingers in his soft, beige ones. Giving the connection a small shake, as if to test it's sturdiness, she returned his smile with a wide grin. "Th-thanks, Mister Ghetto!"

Holding back the gut reaction to the misinformed abbreviation, Getotsu nodded.

Apparently that one little nudge was all that Kya needed to get back to her usual chipper self. Skipping along beside the silver-haired man, she set her eyes ahead and hummed an off-tune melody. Seeing his purpose fulfilled, Getotsu almost tried to gently break their link before he relented and allowed himself to be dragged along.

Besides, she was going the same direction as Koizumi and Master Tanaka anyway.

They found the pair of senior operatives in a dusky main lobby, facing two elevator doors and a third leading to a darkened stairwell. Like the oval office back at the tower base, the walls were lined with display boards, though these ones were powered down. _What equations did these ones hold, I wonder? _Getotsu squinted at the blank screens, trying to see the vigorous finger strokes that had once danced across their surface.

"Until the power's back, we're stuck with the stairs," Koizumi sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose. "And the files we're looking for, not to mention the remaining staff, are probably holed up on the bottom floor."

"Which is... how far down?" Getotsu asked, fishing his CARD out of his pocket to consult it on the matter.

"There are twelve basement levels," the King answered, surprisingly acquiescent for once. "Each organized by subject. B-1 was liquidator's research; we kept it just in case there was a resurgence. B-2 was hydroponic repair and operation, B-3 was Geothermal enhancement, and so on. Basements six through twelve all have to do with O-Energy research and development."

"So in other words, it won't be until we're six floors down that we'll even begin to find anything pertinent," Master Tanaka evaluated, crossing his arms. "And knowing Deck, we'll need passcodes too."

"Passcodes the past members took with them when they disappeared," Getotsu nodded, navigating his CARD menu. Having answered his question about the depths of the site, he instead set his card simply to a function marked 'illuminate'. "Quite a quandary then..."

"Like... who are we looking for anyway?" Kya asked, apparently having fully forgotten the consequences of the last question she'd posed to the King.

Surprisingly though, Koizumi actually seemed to think it valid, if taxing, to answer. "...They're a group called the Zetta Squad," She sighed, saying the title with a disdainful drawl. "It was the Director's grandson... he went a little off the deep end with mathematics. Brilliant, but crazy. Anyway, the kid had talent, so he got assigned his own group of Blanks and earned the Hokkuro Labs as his personal domain. He made good on it though. Every advance he made for us put a bigger dent in the Noise breakouts."

"Then the stake is twofold," said Master Tanaka, examining the empty desks of the lobby, searching for some kind of clue. "Not only is this of great personal significance to the Director, but it also holds the key to stopping the Noise."

The auburn haired King twitched an ambivalent frown and moved towards the stairwell, drawing her own CARD as she did so and quickly activating the same function Getotsu had. "Could be."

"...You think otherwise, Yutsui?"

"Let's leave it at this," Koizumi sighed, her face flickering in the ghostly light of her CARD. "We could possibly recover Double-Junior's research through another member, a satellite member of J0KER who was on base at the time, and I'm not to keen on having a conversation that's half-math. The only reason we need the kid specifically would be for the Director's sake."

The response, though cold, was predictable by this point. Getotsu narrowed his eyes in thought as they followed down the stairs. The King had a point though: conjecture and emotional connection were fairly useless in this setting. In order to cover any ground on what had actually happened, they'd need to look at it objectively. Taking a bracing breath, Getotsu asked, "What were they researching?"

"It was... well, _is_, way above a normal member's clearance level" the auburnette answered with only the slightest hint of hesitation. "But there's no point in sending you into this blind. Enhancements on the O-Gene, dimensional portals, and a certain psyche called the 'Eden Field'. These would all be game changers if they made it to press, so I guess it only natural the Noise would strike if they found out about it."

Master Tanaka straightened slightly, apparently having caught some crucial detail. "...So then, why would they?"

Koizumi gave a weary sigh. "...Exactly."

Exchanging a look with Kya, the other member who hadn't quite understood the significance of the statement, Getotsu cleared his throat and raised his hand. "For the sake of potentially crucial future observations," he began, attempting to cement the importance of his question and safeguard against dismissal; "Would you care to clarify that?"

Koizumi threw back a genuinely blank look, rolled her eyes back to think for a second, and nodded to herself as she came to a decision on the request. "Usually places like this have something like a dimensional cloak," the woman explained, waving a hand in the air as if to demonstrate the ethereal nature of the technology. "Noise don't show up. If they stormed this place like it looks like they did, then one of two things would have to have happened: either someone let the cloak down on purpose, or the cloak was disrupted somehow, probably by an experiment."

"Like the portals?" Getotsu offered, pointing in the air to pin down the idea somehow.

"Well, gee, let's hope not."

Getotsu slowly lowered his hand and raised his eyebrows. "...Why?"

"Think about it," the King went on. "If they went through the portal and the power went down, where does that leave them?"

"Oh..."

The auburnette king hefted a sigh and idly ran her free hand along the stairwell wall as they descended deeper still. "Anyway, I think that's enough for you to go off of. Find any prototypes or notes on any of those things and it's worth a radio in to Collin. Got it? With any luck, it has next to nothing to do with the missing members."

"'_Next to_ nothing'?" Master Tanaka queried, placing a prodding emphasis on the first two words.

Koizumi shrugged. "I'm trying to be optimistic, not deluding. Let's just... keep our eyes open, alright, darlings?"

"Got it, Yutsama!" Kya responded brightly, sending her cheery echo all the way down the remaining flights.

Koizumi gave a sour grimace, but allowed it to slide. "...Good."

For a while after that, it was only the clang and thump of boot-on-step that filled the silence as they passed large, red numbers denoting floor ordinance and walked deeper into the heart of the land. Dust had yet to settle in, and the facilities were only just beginning to show the signs of neglect. Still, the journey sent a creeping feeling up Getotsu's spine, as if they were trespassing on haunted grounds. The light from his CARD, though adequate for giving him an immediate view of the area, still cast long, roving shadows that whispered of people lost in these serene depths.

Apparently of a similar sentiment, Kyasako came alongside him and hugged his arm, tentatively synchronizing her steps to his so they could keep close.

Finally, they came to the sixth floor, where the stairs ended and an open door waited to meet them.

"Well...!" Koizumi said, stopping to look at the neatly unlocked and unguarded passageway. "Now isn't that something?"

If the circumstance had alarmed her, she was hiding it well. Behind the King, the rest of her party observed the happenstance with grim contemplation.

"The rest of the stairs are on the other side of the floor," the King said, jerking her head towards the darkened innards of the cavern.

Squeezing a little tighter on Getotsu's arm, Kyasako shivered. "...Ummm."

"What? Bring out your CARD to light the way to if it bothers you," Koizumi commanded without sympathy. "We've got to get this place searched."

"...Is it too late to, like, switch with another group?"

With a droning hum, the facility itself seemed to answer as overhead lights powered on, flickered, and stabilized.

"That's the back-up generators then," Koizumi murmured, turning back to the now fully lit sixth basement. "Still spooked, Kya dear?"

"I-I wasn't spooked!" Kya claimed, letting go of Getotsu and standing firm. "I was just—!"

The slow hum of something that wasn't the lights caused the group to again fall to silence.

Shifting into a terse, combat mode, the King motioned for the group to consolidate on her position and move out of the stair well. Master Tanaka followed immediately, of course. Slightly behind his master, Getotsu ushered Kyasako towards the others and craned his neck, trying to discern the origin of the noise.

"Quick," Koizumi hissed, running at a low sprint along the backs of lab stations and cubicle walls, heading straight for the far side. "Find a sample."

"A sample?" Getotsu tried unsuccessfully to keep his voice from cracking above a whisper. "A sample of what? What do we need a sample for?"

"Organic material," The King explained. "We're gonna need everything we've got if a fight comes up, and you can't manipulate Noise because they're inorganic."

Getotsu blinked. "They're not... alive?"

"No! They're _inorganic_," Koizumi's tone took on a sharp, hurried edge as she tried to explain. "They're not carbon based. You need something like—Ah! Perfect." Snatching a glittering object up from a table, the King tossed the prize to Getotsu with a small nod. "Say hello to your new best friend."

Catching the small, rather hard object with a wince, Getotsu opened his hand to see exactly what it was that he was supposed to be excited about.

Twinkling back in his palm, was a diamond. He could feel it, weighing and lightening with his breath as he subconsciously connected with and manipulated it.

"Now get it in gear, Shaggy," Koizumi ordered, jerking a thumb towards the floor entrance, where the hum was becoming louder. "We've got some Noise to hush."

Nodding back, Getotsu vaulted over the edge of the desk and braced himself for whatever was stalking them.

Roving above a pack of twitching blue tails raising out of the labyrinth of desks and equipment, a cloud of verdant dots mulled over itself, as if its members were in constant disagreement of which way to go.

"I've got it!" Kya shouted, coming up beside Getotsu as she dug into her pack. Quickly producing a pack of colored candies with a triumphant grin, she ripped open the plastic sack. "Okay, time for a sugar buzz! _Taste teh_ _Rainbow!_"

Flying out of the packet at the bizarre command, the color coated pieces pelted the swarm in a rapid-fire stream. Emerging from the far side with what seemed to be residual smoke, the pellets left the cloud less populated, but more agitated.

And more aware of its target's location.

"C'mon, Mister Ghetto," The ganguro girl urged while digging through her pack. "Show 'em what you got!"

Getotsu tightened his grip on the diamond and tried to think of how this single shot could possibly be effective against their current aggressors.

"Infuse it," Master Tanaka ordered, taking the carbon crystal from his apprentice's grip. "On my mark, focus on the diamond. Ready?" The older man wound up and pitched the glittering missile into the midst of the green bees. "_Now!_"

Getotsu closed his eyes and focused. He held the diamond in his mind. Felt its smooth surfaces, saw its clear faces reflecting the light, measured it's weight, embraced its weight, controlled its weight—

The silver-haired man snapped his eyes open in time to see the diamond drop dead in mid flight, eating a number of the swarming insects and falling upon one of the blue tailed prowlers. Whatever creature the tail belonged to gave a dismal yip before it went limp and disappeared.

The other tails quickly lowered. A moment later, snarling wolves leapt up onto the desks, drawn into open hostilities by Getotsu's inadvertent shot. Their forepaws were worn down to a skeletal mesh of blue, and tribal markings streaked across each feral hound's arched spine.

"_Blackhole!_"

The light in the room warped as a rift tore its way into existence between the creatures and the Deck Operatives. Behind the forward line, Yutsui grunted as she held the anomaly in place. "What-what are you waiting for?! GO!"

Kya sputtered and grabbed Getotsu's arm. "Right!"

The two scrambled back over their barricade desk and, thanks to Kyasako's expert kiting, made it almost to the stairwell when yet another thing went wrong.

Above them, seemingly glued to the ceiling, a lazily curled vulpine stared down with curious eyes as its fragmented tail brushed idly back and forth. Its fragmented _Noise_ tail.

Getotsu had just enough time to pull Kya in and shield her with his body before the blow hit him.

Flat. Or, almost. He tried to buffer himself with his elbows so he didn't crush Kya. There was a crunch as they hit the floor. The moment of impact hit just as hard as Nel ever did during practice, cutting into Getotsu's, thick, tempered bones and bruising his muscles. Kya's small, fragile form pressed against his stomach and he desperately tried to push away.

Then, they were falling. Getotsu's mind couldn't grasp why, but it could pretty well imagine what might await them at the end of the fall. Gripping Kya again and flipping around, Getotsu put himself between the final blow and her. He was heavier, he could take it better. Even if it weren't a simple matter of honor, it made more sense that he take the impact.

And then, as he squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of having his back broken, Getotsu remembered what his O-Ability was.

He almost let out a laugh. Despair turned to ecstasy as he focused on his bones, his skin, his very sinew, and willed it to catch the air, to lift, and soar in the updraft. He mentally reached out into Kya and did the same for her, striving against the natural bonds of force and pressing upward.

He could feel it now. His mind had gone sharp in the way that only a scrape with death could induce. The organic matter of himself, of the ganguro girl clutched to his chest, the strong mass of Master Tanaka, the lithe, graceful form of Koizumi.

And the poised vigilance of the fox still staring down at them as they crashed through multiple floors.

The fox that was a Noise.

Getotsu's stream of thought suddenly ran dry, baffled at the nagging inconsistency. It groped out to feel the other Noise, trying to prove that maybe Koizumi had just been plain wrong about their nature, that maybe they were organic all along, that he really _could _feel them.

No, he couldn't feel them. He could hear them, still howling and snarling, but they were absent in his newly developed sixth sense.

And the Noise above him wasn't.

"...Why—?"

Like a shot from a gun left on the table, unattended and unthought of until the moment one realizes it is gone, the slab of floor touched down and sent a shockwave through Getotsu's body.

Just before his world went black, he saw the fox uncoil, and slink away to whatever incomprehensible, rule breaking depths had spawned it.

In his dreams, it came back wearing a human face.

*****Author's Note*****

_Attention! I have some sad news for you all. Because I will be working and studying very hard in the coming weeks, I am afraid I will have to discontinue __**Deck: J0KER**__ until my schedule is more open. I would like to apologize to the Shibuya Operation – Story Storm community for these complications as well as the readers this story has gained along the way. I know that we're just getting to the good part, but in order to carry eighteen units and thirty four hours of work a week, I don't think I can keep up this size chapter for each week and, as I'm sure you've noticed by now, this is a story that requires these sized chapters._

_However, that does not mean that this story is over. In fact, come next cycle of the Story Storm, I hope to finish it. Thank you so much for your support over these first four weeks. I promise that over the course of the year I will work long and hard on the rest of the story (the basic plan is down, it's all in the details now), even if I can't work it directly._

_Again, you have my sincerest apologies, but in the interests of not presenting you with half-baked material, I must put this tale to rest for now._

_But remember, Hope Still Flies._

*****Acknowledgements***  
><strong>_Because we've got to have a thank you corner if this is going to be anything like Dina! Thank yous are in order for _**_Hyoxjnn_**_ and _**_Aviantei_**_ for giving honest, detailed, and uplifting reviews that show they thought about the story. _**_Hyoxjnn_**_ again for letting me use Leo and Nel, and _**_Aviantei_**_ again for favoriting. _**_EeveeGen9988_**_ for favoriting and following, as well as lending the use of her characters to this story. _**_Bugzii_**_ for creating Yuu Minamimoto and _**_Crow's Gamble _**_for creating people who have something to do with his grandson. Additionally, everyone who stops by and cheers this story on for when it begins again. "You are the key that will open the door"._

*****Secret Report: Daisuke Bito*****

_Daisuke is actually a character I've been wanting to write for a while now. He's Beat's grandfather and is set for an appearance in _**_From the Underground Up_**_. In his originally planned draft, he's a former yakuza who's trying to get out of the business and make and honest living that his son can be proud of. While he may not actually be the brightest bulb in the box, he talks a great game of smack and expresses his hot temper rather creatively. Despite his many failures though, Daisuke's love for his son and efforts for his success are still clearly communicated and eventually show in the naming of Daisuke's first grandson: Daisukenojo._

_In the Deckverse, Daisuke is a former Deck operative who, ironically, doesn't know about his grandson who is in the same organization. After the death of his son, Daisuke went derelict for a while before eventually turning up here. But is he the outside operative sent to monitor the Zetta Squad? Or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time again? Find out next time, in _**_Deck: J0KER, Game V: Old Maid._**

**}The Inside Joke{**

**\\Power signals are coming in at a slight positive. Any updates yet?**(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Yeah, backup generators are back online! Tho... for how long, idk. (ari3)

-I think he realized that part, tyke. (iZOlation)

-Wow... I knew Izo was a jerk. (2little2late)

-But an intellectually superior jerk, if still a jerk all the same. (RueTheDay)

-Jumping off the bandwagon of declaring Izo's jerkiness, I'd like to report that we found a survivor and are continuing towards the living quarters to investigate further. (N31!31)

-Great! What's the survivor's member tag? (}+RevanentCG+{)

-He doesn't know what a member tag is. Try "Die". (Ayumu)

-...That's not a good joke.(ari3)

-It wasn't a joke. More likely, a nickname. (RueTheDay)

-Who the heck chooses that as a nickname? (2little2late)

-Why don't you ask him yourself? (-Sentence-)

-BECAUSE! … You know! He... umm... he said it's a secret! (2little2late)

-It's okay, I didn't understand it either. (XMaybexImxAxLionX)

-...Let me know if anything comes up. (}+REvanentCG+{)

-Got it. Over and out. (N31!31)

**\\I've decided: our cat should be called San-Nyaa Nekohama. **(ari3)

-Approved. Let's take pictures and send them to the CAT department. He can be their new mascot! (YuuMeAndAMocha)

-That... doesn't sound wise, sir.(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Respect the humor, Collin. Mocha-san has spoken. (-Sentence-)

-...I have the horrible feeling justice has just been served...(}+REvanentCG+{)

-Awww~yeah! Wgaca!(ari3)

**\\Hey, has anyone heard from Master Tanaka's group yet?**(N31!31)

-Don't worry about them, Yutsui's probably just got them all on their toes. I'm sure they'll report when they have something to report. (}+REvanentCG+{)

-Collin's probably right, Yutsui runs a pretty tight ship!(ari3)

-Alright... I'm putting an alert on them though, just case. (XMaybexImxAxLionX)

-...Thanks?(N31!31)

-Slow down there, Lion Boy. Give her time. (2little2late)

-...What?(XMaybexImxAxLionX)

**Wildcard Shuffle – Current Song – The Summoned(From Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII)**

**Next Song – That's How the Story Ends(Five Iron Frenzy)**


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